Warriors of the West
by Hairann
Summary: The following takes place on the day of the Ambassador's annual homecoming... Warnings: Torture. Events leading up from the attack on the Ambassador, lead Kagome to be arrested as a traitor. 3rd place Best A/A 2nd Q 09, nom: 3Q 09 in Dokuga award
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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Summary: The following takes place on the day of the Ambassador's annual homecoming...

Follows: The Anime and movies. Does not follow the 24 story line from any season, just using the basic idea.

"spoken" 'thought'

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AN: Welcome all to one of my newest stories. If you're a repeat reader, welcome back, if not please feel free to check out my other stories as well. Going to explain a few things before we get started so you won't be completely confused. First this is a concept crossover, which means, instead of bringing over characters or story lines from the second story, merely the concept is brought over. Now the crossovers are, of course, Inuyasha and 24. Sadly there will be no Jack.

Next everyone is human in this story, there are no demons and no one has any powers like priests and priestesses in the show. Whatever weapon they used in the show, however, they will still use. Such as Sango will still use Hiraikotsu. While there is some OOCness, but this is an AU and so there's bound to be some. I do have a plan to do a sequel to this one if all goes well, and I can come up with enough storyline so please don't ask about it.

Here's a little secret about this story. Naraku/Onigumo is not the bad guy, in fact, he's not even in this story. And you'll never guess who is the villain/s is/are...muhahahaha...sorry not enough sleep. Also gonna play a game in this story, this time it's 'Who's name am I?' Here's how it goes...I put in a translation, and you tell me which Inuyasha character it is. Remember these may not be perfect translations, so don't yell at me if it's not the translation you know.

First person to guess correctly in reviews on ff(dot)net and dokuga(dot)com will have the next chapter dedicated to them. 'invisible divine help' Who am I?

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

And now the moment you have all been waiting for, cause I won't shut up...

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The following takes place between 6am and 7am...

6:00...

"Milord, the ambassador's convoy has just left the kingdom. They should arrive in the East for the yearly meeting sometime tomorrow morning, just as our ambassador should arrive home," an elderly gentleman informed the lord of the kingdom as he entered his office, his back slightly bent with age. His nearly sixty summers showed clearly in his grayed hair, which was pulled back into a pigtail at the back of his head, accenting his balding head, his long, thin mustache parted to hang down on either side of his lips, and his short and stubby goatee.

Even his skin was weathered and wrinkled, almost leather-like, yet still drawn tightly against his face. A complete contrast to the lord he was currently speaking to. At only 37 summers, his features, much like himself, were still young and vibrant. Long, silky, silver hair would pool down to his knees were it not kept up in a high ponytail. Sun-kissed eyes echoed the knowledge and experiences he'd acquired in his years as lord.

His chiseled face, as though as sculpturer's masterpiece, bore not a single wrinkle or blemish. Handsome, and yet breathtakingly beautiful at the same time. He glanced up from his desk, meeting the dark eyes of the man who had just entered, and watched as two others followed suit. The first seemed dwarfed in the height of the others. Standing at only four feet tall, he was quite easily the shortest male in the entire kingdom.

His grayed hair receded to the back of his skull to hang in short curls. Just as with the man that preceded him, his long mustache parted to hand on each side of his lips. The man that followed after, making up the last third of the lord's advisors, had very little to distinguish him from the other two.

His extremely long hair, pulled back from his receding hairline to a low pigtail, long beard and mustache, and the wire rim glasses perched upon the end of his pointed nose, were the only noticeable differences. "Take a seat," the lord instructed as he gestured to the small cushions set before the low table that was currently serving as his desk.

"When can we expect the messenger to arrive from the East, Myoga?" the lord questioned once his advisors had done as he bid and he turned his glance toward the shortest of the three. Myoga's thin, almost non existent, eye brows knitted together, giving the lord the impression that he was calculating the time frame.

"I would say sometime after lunch, Lord Toga. This is of course, assuming he runs into no problems and the weather holds out. But provided he left as soon as, if not earlier, than the ambassador's convoy and no storms arise, the estimate should be correct," Myoga informed Lord Toga after he had run through a few scenarios of what might happen to delay the messenger in his mind.

"Very well. And I assume our messenger has already been dispatched to the East?" Toga inquired and received three simultaneous nods as his answer. "Good, then we can move on to the next order of business," Toga informed them as he reached across his desk to grab a scroll. Breaking the seal, he began to unroll it and read it out loud to his advisors.

6:05...

Beginning to tiptoe as she neared her destination, a young woman smiled to a nearby guard and held up a slender index finger to her lips before he was able to question her approach. The guard raised a single eyebrow in her direction as he gave the young woman a once-over.

Long, silky black hair was pulled back into a loose braid. Deep brown eyes, lit with excitement and laughter, matched well with her pale, ivory skin. Her dull, unattractive clothing fit those of the current fashion, but with one small exception. The green and off white kamishimo was meant for a male to wear. The forest green kataginu and hakama stood out against the dull white of the kimono. Had the girl been anyone else, the guard and many others like him surely would have complained to the lord about her running around in men's clothing, but alas, they knew it would do them no good.

As she stopped in front of a closed door, the woman turned back around to the guard to give him a quick wink, before beginning to slide open the shoji door. Careful not to make a sound, she slowly made her way into the dark room and turned back to close the door. Before she was able to venture any further into the room, and do what she had come here to do, strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight against a firm chest.

"That's not fair, Sesshoumaru. How am I supposed to scare you if you always know I'm here?" she inquired with a pout as she mock-glared over her shoulder at him. Sesshoumaru seemed disinclined to respond as he began trailing light kisses along her neck. "That's really not fair," the woman insisted as she turned around in his arms and teased his lips with a feather light kiss.

"And who, my dear Kagome, ever accused me of being fair?" Sesshoumaru questioned rhetorically as he placed his hands on the small of her back and pulled her tighter against him. Kagome merely rolled her chocolate eyes at him before wrapping her hands around the back of his head and pulling him down to her lips.

"Well, as much as I would love to stay here all day," Kagome began as she pulled back to catch her breath from what had quickly become a heated kiss, "I really should be getting to my post. Inuyasha will throw a fit if I'm late again, especially when he finds out it was because of you."

"And just who is going to tell my little brother that you were late because you were with me?" Sesshoumaru inquired as he refused to let her go and instead pulled her back against him for another kiss. "Surely neither you nor I would do such a thing."

"Ah, but alas, I shall once again be unable to wipe the large smile off of my face and even your brother can deduce what the cause of it is. And as much as I couldn't care less about being late, the last time you made me late he had me tending to everyone's weapons. I have no desire to relive that experience, thank you very much."

"Very well, my dear, but I shall come find you the moment I have a second's worth of free time. So do not wander too far," Sesshoumaru instructed kissing her lightly on the forehead before letting her go completely and taking a step back. "Until then," he whispered into her ear as he passed and walked out into the hallway after opening his door. Kagome stood rooted in her spot for a moment before shaking her head and heading back the way she had come.

6:10...

"Good morning, father," Sesshoumaru greeted as he entered the dining hall and began making his way over to his usual cushion near where his father was sitting. The white-with red honey-combed pattern- silk of his haori and hakama fluttered slightly behind him with his long strides. Lord Toga glanced up to meet the eyes of his son before giving him a slight nod and going back to breaking his fast. "I trust the convoy left without complications."

"Yes, both the convoy and the messenger to let the Eastern Lord know that the convoy had left, departing without a hitch. My advisors tell me we should hear word from their messenger around lunch," Toga informed him as the shoji door opened and his younger son walked into the room, taking his custom cushion as well.

"I see you have decided to grace us with your presence, little brother," Sesshoumaru greeted as he turned his attention away from his father to his younger brother, who began shoveling food into his mouth the moment the plate was set before him. He was wearing a deep red haori and hakama, and his long, white hair was undone, cascading down his broad back. "Do try to at least pretend to have manners."

"Oh, be silent, Sesshoumaru. I don't have time for manners this morning. I'm already running late as it is," Inuyasha informed him in between bites of food. "That was good," Inuyasha commented, more to himself than to the others, after he had finished off his plate and stood up. "I must be going, I need to give my team their orders. Good day Father, Sesshoumaru," he bid with a quick bow before turning and hurrying out of the room.

"Are you quite sure we are indeed related?" Sesshoumaru questioned after watching Inuyasha leave before turning back to his father. "Perhaps my true little brother was switched at birth? Living somewhere off in the country now, gracing them with his refined manners," Sesshoumaru suggested, as was customary when they broke their fast. Each morning he would come up with a different scenario, and each morning his father answered the same.

"I assure you Sesshoumaru, he is in fact, your younger brother. Even if I had not been there for the birth, he looks far too much like me to have been anyone else's but mine and your late mother's. He may not have your manners or be as refined as you, but he neither does he have the weight of the entire kingdom resting on his shoulders. Give him a break, son, he is still young."

"Father, the boy is already 15 summers. By then I was already taking over some of your work load and meeting with visiting diplomats. He is not a child anymore and he needs to learn that. How can he ever expect to be my right hand, if he does not grow up and become responsible?"

"When the time comes for you to take over as Lord of the West, your brother will mature and meet his responsibilities head-on. He is simply having a bit of fun and enjoying life, something I wish you would do more often," Toga insisted as a servant entered and began clearing the plates from the table.

"Father, you know I had no choice. With Mother passing away, Kami rest her soul, you needed my help. Should I have been off gallivanting around the kingdom when you needed me by your side?" Sesshoumaru questioned with a heavy sigh.

"I understand this, Sesshoumaru, and I do regret the way some things were, but that does not mean I want to see both of my sons stuck in meetings all day and having no chance to be themselves before everything is thrust into their hands and they no longer have a choice," Toga insisted as the same servant returned and began pouring them each a glass of tea.

"I have fun, Father. I simply do so after my duties are taken care of. I am not going to shrink from my responsibilities in order to go running around like a child. We have a responsibility to you and to this kingdom and it is high time that he learns this. Especially with his up and coming engagement."

"Speaking of," Toga began, deciding it would be best to move the topic of conversation off of his youngest son, "have you given any more thought about an engagement of your own?"

"No, Father, you already know my stand on this. I cannot marry the woman I wish to so I have no desire to marry. And please do not bring up the topic of heirs again - one will not be needed for many years to come and perhaps by then I will be able to reason with you that my chosen bride need not be a lady of another kingdom, but one of our own."

"Son, you know I adore Kagome and would wish nothing more than to have her as my daughter, but the land is in turmoil, new wars are cropping up daily. It is far better for the kingdom for your engagement to create a treaty with another kingdom, just as your brother's is fortifying one we already have. I wish nothing more than to give you this, since you ask for so little and I want for not but the happiness of my children, but if the war moves here, the West may very well fall if we do not have more allies. Please think more on this," Toga pleaded as he stood and began making his way out of the dining hall, his untouched tea cup still sitting where it had been placed.

6:25...

As Inuyasha arrived in the courtyard, he found his entire team waiting for him, most of whom had a look clearly stating he was late, on their faces. Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, he gave each member a once-over to make sure they were in good health and fit for their posts. The first member, the original member ever since he had started the group with her five years ago, was Kagome. She stood in her customary green and off white kamishimo, her long, dark hair pulled back in a loose braid. A wooden bow was swung over one shoulder, a quiver of arrows over the other.

Standing next to her, abruptly ending her conversation with Kagome when Inuyasha arrived, was Sango. She wore a dark and light purple kimono with a green, almost apron-like skirt over it. Thrown over her shoulder was a large boomerang she had affectionately named Hiraikotsu. Her long, dark hair was tapered near the bottom with a single white ribbon.

Standing on Sango's other side was her husband, Miroku. He wore a long, black and purple robe, much like you would expect to see on a shrine priest, and carried with him a staff. Golden in color, it was accented by a large hoop at the top, which had three smaller hoops adorning each sides He had been studying to become a priest, as his forefathers had done, until he met Sango and decided to settle down with her, opting to keep the clothing of his heritage in respect to his ancestors.

Next to him was Sango's cousin Kirara. She wore a black and cream colored kimono, much in the same style as Sango's and her long, golden hair was pulled back into two large pigtails. Her weapon of choice was a set of clawed gloves which she was able to retract when they were not needed.

Next to her was Kagura. She wore a white and dark purple kimono accented with a yellow and gold obi. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a half ponytail, half bun style toward the back of her head. Her weapon, which she was currently tapping against her open palm, was a razor sharp fan.

Next came Hachiemon, or Hachi as he was known to most, wearing a red and white kimono, a purple kataginu and a sea green hakama. Standing at only 4'11 he was easily the shortest member of the group. A slightly plump physique and thinning light brown hair quickly identified him as an oddball member of the group. His weapons were small daggers kept away in hidden pockets of his kataginu.

The last three members of the group had all joined at about the same time, merely two years ago. The first was Bankotsu. He wore a white and navy blue haori and hakama, accented by a bright red obi. His weapon was a massive double-edged broadsword he had dubbed Banryu. His long dark hair was pulled back into a single braid.

Next was Suikotsu, who wore dark armor over a dark blue haori and hakama, with a bright green obi. His weapon was a shuko, much like Kirara, on each hand with exceptionally long blades. The only difference between their weapons was his were not retractable. His short black hair was styled slightly wild.

And the last member of the group, was also easily the oddest. Jakotsu wore a light purple kimono with green leaves adorning it and a reddish-purple obi. His dark hair pulled back, pale complexion and feminine voice gave the illusion that he was female, and he was constantly getting on Inuyasha's nerves by hitting on him. His weapon of choice was also by far the strangest. Jakotsuto was a snake-like sword made up of several linking blades that were able to twist and turn, making it very difficult to determine which direction an attack is coming from when facing him in battle.

Seeing each member of his team was in good health and awaiting his orders, Inuyasha began to call out orders. "Bankotsu, Jakotsu and Suikotsu, you three are on royal guard duty. Bankotsu - you're with my brother, Jakotsu - my father, and Suikotsu - you're with me," Inuyasha informed them as he glanced at them in turn. "Kirara and Kagura, you two are on observation duty. Keep an eye on the comings and goings of the kingdom. Spot anything out of the ordinary and report it to me immediately.

"Kagome, Sango, Miroku and Hachi, you four are on sentry duty. Pick a wall and stay there. That is all, you are dismissed," Inuyasha informed them and with a quick bow they each began making their way to their posts. After he had watched the group head off to follow his orders, Inuyasha began heading toward the wall Miroku had picked as his post.

"How goes things with the royal engagement?" Miroku questioned, not taking his eyes off of the surrounding area. Inuyasha heaved a sigh as he stood next to Miroku and turned his attention toward the horizon. The first rays of the morning sun were just beginning to appear.

"Same as always. I hate the idea of marrying some Lady I have never met, but it must be done to straighten the treaty with the East. Want to hear something funny though?" Inuyasha inquired as he turned toward Miroku with a smirk. Miroku glanced over, nodding his head before he turned back to his previous position. "Her brother, Kouga, is even less thrilled with the match and rumor has it he's been opening objecting it."

"Openly? Like to the Eastern Lord? That takes guts. Have you heard his reasons behind the objection? What is your future wife like, anyways?" Miroku inquired as he glanced down to watch the large double gates be opened to allow the first arrivals of the morning into the kingdom. Giving them a quick once-over, Miroku decided they were just villagers and traveling merchants and turned his attention back to the horizon and Inuyasha.

"Not sure if their lord has heard about it yet, but apparently when word reached the East that Father had accepted the engagement, Kouga threw a fit and wouldn't come out of his room. Kinda childish if you ask me," Inuyasha whispered with a laugh. "As far as what she's like, I don't really know that much. Kagome told me the last time she saw her was about three years ago when she went with her parents for the yearly meeting.

"Her name's Kikyou. Kagome said she was very beautiful, a great archer and educated. She loves horses and won't eat any vegetable that's green. She wouldn't give me any reason for the last one, though. Who knows what's changed in three years. She has seen 18 summers, so she's a bit older, but not by much. Father says that even if it wasn't for the treaty that she would still be a good match for me. I don't know about that, but at least I'm not in Sesshoumaru's position."

"What do you mean?" Miroku inquired taking his eyes off of the sunrise and putting his full attention on the man standing next to him. "Did he finally agree to an engagement?"

"No, I'm talking about the whole him and Kagome situation. I mean, I can't imagine my brother marrying anyone else and he's unable to marry her. Father won't give in. And we all know it has nothing to do with Kagome - my father loves her - he just wants more alliances. It's for the good of the kingdom and all, but it won't do any good since I doubt Sesshoumaru would marry another even if Father ordered him to."

"Wow, I didn't know their relationship was so advanced. Where have I been? Would he seriously disobey a direct order from Lord Toga if he told him to marry someone else?"

"Easy Miroku, you were busy with your relationship with Sango and then getting married. While courting her, you literally saw nothing else. Those two have been attached at the hip for the last, oh, what has it been, three or four summers now? They kept it kinda of quiet in the beginning, but the rest of the time it was your own fault for missing it. And yeah, I think if there was ever a time where my brother would disobey my father, it would be over this."

"Whoa, I never thought I would see the day when Sesshoumaru didn't obey Lord Toga's every whim. I do kinda feel for him though, I don't know what I would have done if someone told me I couldn't marry

Sango."

6:35...

"Where had we left off before I took my leave to break my fast?" Lord Toga inquired after his three advisors had resumed the cushions in front of his desk. They watched as a servant began pouring tea into the cups sitting on the desk in front of them. Giving him a minute to finish up, they waited until he had bowed and made his way out of the room before answering the lord.

"I believe we had been discussing the young lord's engagement," an elderly gentlemen, with a long pigtail, informed him. "We had just touched base with the subject when the servant came to inform you the morning meal was ready."

"Very well, Hosenki. The last correspondence with the East has the date set for early spring of next year. Lady Kikyou will be arriving here, along with her father, perhaps a half of a moon cycle before the ceremony is to take place. Lord Menomaru has opted to leave his son Kouga behind in order to watch over the kingdom. He is scheduled to stay the remainder of the moon cycle before returning back to the East.

"When the time comes, have the room adjacent to Inuyasha's prepared for Lady Kikyou and the one on the right of hers for Lord Menomaru. Begin inquiring about any non perishable items we will be needing for the ceremony and the moon cycle surrounding it. We shall spare no expense on this ceremony, trade has been lacking as of late in the kingdom and we need to attract more travelers.

"Lady Kikyou will be arriving with her own wedding kimono as well as a good amount of clothing, but we should begin procuring others just in case, as well as jewelry, hair combs and the like. Also, I would like one of you to speak with my son in the next moon cycle to begin getting an idea of what he would like served at the feast. I will, of course, have final say, but I would like to get his input as well."

"Have you made any headway with your eldest milord?" the third advisor inquired when Toga paused for a moment. The three advisors sighed in unison when the lord shook his head in the negative.

"I am afraid not, Totosai. My son is being adamant that if he is not allowed to wed the woman he wishes to, then he will not be getting married to another. He refuses to see my way on this account and I have neither the time nor the energy to try and sway him at the present time. Once everything is over and done with, pertaining to my youngest son's wedding, then I will try to persuade him more.

"Our next order of business would be the changes we plan to discuss with the ambassador when he arrives. I believe yesterday we spoke of rice, furs and cloth. We decided on a third more of rice, four dozen more furs and another 100 bolts of cloth, did we not?" Toga inquired and received three nods as an answer. "Very well, today we move on to grain, spices and men."

"Men, milord?" Hosenki inquired with a single eyebrow raised. The two men sitting next to him each sported a confused expression as well to the lord's most recent statement.

"Yes, men, warriors. It is no secret that the East has a far larger army than our own. And as it stands now, a good half of our men are out on reconnaissance making sure that the wars do not cross our boarders. How can we expect to come to Lord Menomaru's aid, if called upon, when we do not even have the manpower to fortify our own kingdom? I have mentioned this in a correspondence with him, and he has given me right to ask for some.

"I would suggest 500 to perhaps 1000. More than enough to pick up the slack around here, have men to send to our allies' aid and not impede on the safety of his kingdom. Now how does one dozen extra barrels of grain and three boxes of spices sound? That should be enough to prevent the need to skimp toward the end of the year, no?"

"That sounds fine, milord. Also, I would suggest adding rice paper to the list. Two of our normal suppliers have ended trade with us just this year. One retired and I believe the other was killed in the war. The East has a large supply of it and can no doubt spare a few cases," Myoga suggested after thinking for a moment. The other two advisors nodded in agreement.

"Rice paper, huh? Very well, it will be added to the list. Last thing on the agenda for this meeting, our current supplies. Totosai, how are we looking?" Toga inquired as he turned his attention to the elderly man he had just spoken to.

"Fresh water is above the normal level at this time of year, high harvest count, so we are good on fruits and vegetables, the servants have already begun collecting the wood for winter and should be finished by the end of this moon cycle," Totosai replied after pulling a scroll from his haori pocket and unrolling it. "We do seem to be getting low on meat however. I estimate that it shall not last us until the end of this moon cycle."

"Very well. Then I suggest we send out a hunting party this morning. It would not bode well to let the supply deplete too much in case some of the meat goes bad. Have the men ready themselves to leave shortly. I will inform Sesshoumaru that he is to lead it," Toga informed them, clearly ending the meeting. The three of them stood, bowed deeply and began making their way out of the room.

6:55-7:00...

"It isn't right, Father. It's a downright insult to you and to this kingdom! Engaging my sister to his second-born? It's an insult, that's what it is! Kikyou should be engaged to his heir, that is the only way to truly ensure this alliance," a young man insisted as he stormed into his father's office and seated himself on a cushion in front of his desk. He was dressed in dark brown, black, and gray armor that included shoulder pads, arm guards and an obi that kept his sword in place at his side, most of which were made of fur.

"You very well know the conditions of the engagement, Kouga. We agreed, over 20 summers ago, that when two of our children of same rank came of age that we would engage them. It would not be fair to expect Lord Toga to engage his heir when I am not doing the same. Now if you wish, I can speak with him about engaging you to his firstborn, as that would be fair by your account," Lord Menomaru replied with such seriousness that Kouga thought for a moment that he might really engage him to another man, but the small glimmer of amusement in his dark eyes put that worry to rest.

"Your sense of humor does not amuse me, Father. It is not fair to wed Kikyou off to someone who's three summers her junior," Kouga insisted, his harden expression easily showing his father that he was set in his opinion.

"Three summers, either way, makes little difference and I refuse to doom my only daughter to a miserable life simply so I can marry her off to an heir. She and Lord Toga's eldest have not a thing in common and truth be told, he is a bit too cold for my taste. The young lord, Inuyasha, makes a fine match for your sister and I do believe she will be much happier with him. Now this matter is no longer open for discussion. Be on your way, I have a meeting scheduled for any moment."

Huffing, Kouga stood abruptly from his seat and began storming out of the room. As he passed the threshold, he ran into the very man his father was about to meet with and ended up knocking him to the ground. Growling a quick 'watch it' as he passed, Kouga continued to stomp down the hall and away from his father's study.

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AN: Couple of things to go over just so things make sense. A moon cycle is a month. A kamishimo is kinda of like an ancient Japanese three-piece suit. It's made up of a kataginu, which is a sleeveless jacket, a kimono and a hakama. And when referring to having seen summers, such as she has seen 13 summers or 3 summers her junior, it's referring to years. i.e. 13 years-old and three years younger. If any of the other lingo I used doesn't make any sense, please let me know and I will be happy to explain it.

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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AN: I'm late I know. Sorry my computer was in the shop for about two weeks and I wasn't able to access the stories on my hubby's computer because he didn't have the right word program. On the bright side, I did manage to write the outline for about three chapters of We are Mates :).

This chapter is dedicated to Eddward and cityslicker01 for the correct answer of Myouga. Gratz guys. Next round: 'coral' Who am I?

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

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The following takes place between 7am and 8am...

7:00...

"I cannot wait until we arrive at the Western Kingdom. Our son must have gotten so big by now. I know he wanted to stay in the West to train under Jinenji, but I do wish he would have come with us to the East. An entire year is far too long to go without seeing our son," a gentlewoman complained to her husband as she leaned back on the wooden seat in the carriage with a sigh.

"I agree, my dear. However, we decided to allow him to make this choice. And we both know the boy would be bored had he come with us, just as he was in years passed. All of his friends are in the Western Kingdom and he has found his calling there. As much as I would wish for him to be with us as well, we must allow him to follow his own path," her husband replied as he glanced over and smiled reassuringly at her.

"That may very well be, husband of mine, but that in no way requires me to be completely happy with the arrangement. I am glad our son is happy and has found his calling, but he is still but a child and should be with his mother. I should have a few more years at least before he becomes a man and goes off on his own, yet here we are without him. I understand, I truly do, but that does not mean I am happy."

"I understand, my dear. Let us look at this on the bright side. We are now on our way back home and will be able to spend time with him. I shall be required to spend most of my time in meetings, but you are more than welcome to spend it with our son instead. Do not fret my dear," he insisted as he reached over to pat her hand with his own.

Whatever she had been about to respond with was cut off when a loud shot rang out. Shouts of 'protect the ambassador' were called out around them and he risked glancing out of the carriage window to see what was happening. Finding their driver slumped over in his seat and men scattering around to protect him and his wife, the ambassador turned back and grabbed onto her. Dropping to the floor in front of their seat, he pulled her down with him and covered her body with his own.

"What is happening?" she cried out franticly over the roar of the battle outside. Shaking his head, as he had no way of knowing and unable to find his voice to tell her so, he pulled her tighter against his body and prayed she would make it through unharmed. After a few minutes, the air around them became deathly quiet and after taking a deep breath, he glanced up toward the door to the carriage.

It opened up to reveal an armored warrior he knew to be not one of his escorts. Quickly pulling his wife behind him, he opened his mouth to ask them to spare her, but was unable to utter a sound as the man positioned an arquebus against his shoulder, the fuse already having been lit, and took aim at him. A moment later the shot echoed off the walls in the carriage. Managing to absorb most of the recoil, he merely handed off the fired gun to a warrior standing to his right.

Behind the ambassador, his wife began screaming, calling out his name over and over until the man had been handed another arquebus and he took aim at her. "Be safe my son, my Shippo," she prayed in barely a whisper as she hardened her face and looked the man directly in the eye.

Another shot rang out before the man closed the door and turned back to his comrades. "Burn everything to the ground. We wouldn't want the West to get an early warning of what has happened. Soon it will not matter though as Lord Toga will be dead before lunch," the man joked, causing the others around him to erupt into laughter.

7:10...

Kagome stood next to the outer wall, surrounding the courtyard, looking out across the vast land to the north of the Western Kingdom, as she continued to hold her post. The morning had so far been quiet, but it seemed to her as if it was the calm before the storm. In the five years she had been working under Inuyasha, she had come to develop a sixth sense for when things were about to go wrong.

She exhaled sharply, her bottom lip protruding, causing the air to travel upwards, fanning her bangs away from her forehead. She glanced down at the ground, searching for anything that might be out of place. Finding nothing, Kagome sighed before rolling her deep brown eyes. Growing restless once again, she began rocking back and forth, placing her weight onto her tip toes and then her heels.

This kept her occupied for all of about ten seconds before she was exhaling sharply again and began bobbing her head to some silent music that existed only in her mind. A smile appeared on her face when she remembered that she had first heard the music currently playing in her head during a festival four summers ago. It was the harvest festival and it was the first time she had spent a moment alone with Sesshoumaru.

Flashback

The harvest festival was well underway and I found myself being incredibly bored. Inuyasha had given me royal guard duty that night and so instead of enjoying the many activities the festival had to offer, I was stuck back in a stuffy office while my charge, Sesshoumaru, held a meeting with his advisor. On the outside, I did my job, I stood still as a statue and kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary or anyone who looked like they might be after the young lord's life.

But on the inside, I was imagining myself at the festival, filled up on good food and dancing with one handsome stranger or another. I could see in my mind the beautiful decorations, hear the latest songs the musicians were playing, taste the many delicacies the kingdom had to offer and smell autumn in the air. Now, I don't mind being on royal guard duty, I take my job seriously and would without a second's thought give my life to protect any member of the royal family.

But why, on today of all days, do I have to be stuck guarding the only member of the royal family who wasn't currently at said festival? Sango was off guarding Lord Toga, who of course was presiding over the event and Kagura was guarding Inuyasha who, more likely than not, was currently making a fool of himself as he tried one of his many unsuccessful attempts to find a female able to stand him and his brashness long enough to accept his offer to dance. At only 11 summers he was already quite into females.

And Kirara was either making rounds among the villagers or tasting the food before Lord Toga or Inuyasha had a chance to partake from the plate. Now this might sound like a dangerous job, however, Kirara had a knack for smelling poisons, even ones the average person would be unable to detect. So instead of testing the food to make sure it was safe, she would already know and was merely taking a bite to taste it.

So they were off most likely enjoying themselves and I was stuck here, for what was bound to be a very long night. Oh look, they moved off of the topic of weapon supply for the warriors and have moved onto armor. What fun. Now I wouldn't really mind being stuck back in an office if I was with one of the other two, Inuyasha would always talk with me whenever he got a moment and Lord Toga always made sure to have a plate brought in for me.

But Sesshoumaru? He hasn't looked my way this entire time and I'm almost positive his advisor sneered at me the moment he walked into the office and noticed my presence. I guess he's still a little sore at me for the time I knocked him out when I thought he was attacking Inuyasha. I mean, how was I supposed to know any better?

I hear Inuyasha yell, rush into the room and see the little man standing on his futon and leaning over him. Well, it turns out that Sesshoumaru had ordered him in there to wake his brother, who was refusing to get up because he stayed up too late the night before, but from where I stood, it looked like he was trying to attack him. I was only doing my job, but it seems he still doesn't see it that way. Oh well.

Bringing myself back to the present, I glanced around to make sure there was nothing lurking in the shadows before turning my attention back to my charge and his advisor. They had moved on to how many more recruits they wanted before the end of the season. The two of them were polar opposites. His advisor, Jaken I believe his name is, stood at only 4'2", making his just barely taller than one of Lord Toga's advisors, Myoga.

He wore a long, dark brown haori and tan hakama. Sitting atop his head was a small, black hat, tied in place by strings that disappeared under his chin. And for some strange, unknown reason he always, at least the half a dozen or so times I have seen him, carries around a wooden staff with, what appears to be, two wood-carved heads at the top.

Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, was rather tall, standing at just shy of six feet and looked a quite deal like Lord Toga. Long, silky silver hair, deep, golden eyes and a hard body, from what I've seen the few times I have spotted him mock fighting with Inuyasha topless, that would cause an average woman to swoon. Thankfully I am not an average woman, or I would never be able to do my job around him.

He wore a white haori with a red, honeycomb pattern and a pair of white hakama, which was accented by a blue and yellow obi. Currently he was unarmed, but he normally carried with him a sword and spiked breastplate. Also, which he was sans at the moment as well, was a long, thick piece of fur from the first solo kill he had made. At 16 he was a well sought-after heir and not a season went by that three or four Ladies didn't arrive in hopes of an engagement.

In fact, if I heard correctly, there was currently one out enjoying the festival while he was here, probably trying to avoid her. Not that I could fault him really, most of the Ladies that showed up were practically throwing themselves at him. I'm sure that would get old rather quick. Okay, so I am a little jealous of them, but not much really since I barely know the man and this is only the second time I've gotten within feet of him.

Again I pull myself to the present and glance around the room. Still no one lurking in the shadows. I sigh quietly as I turn back to the two, who are still talking about supplies, which ones I am unable to catch, and find Jaken glaring at me. Crossing my eyes to look down at my nose, I stick my tongue out at him and force myself not to laugh when he gasps. I quickly uncross my eyes and pull my tongue back in just as Sesshoumaru turns to glance in my direction.

"Do you require anything milord?" I question with a slight bow as Jaken began huffing in his seat and babbling about tongues. Instead of replying, he merely raised a single elegant eyebrow at me before turning back toward Jaken. I laughed silently as I pointed my index finger at Jaken and once again stuck out my tongue at him. As Sesshoumaru was busy signing his name to some scroll on his desk, Jaken glared at me and stuck out his own tongue in retaliation.

He, of course, got caught. "Perhaps we should adjourn this meeting for now so you may have Jinenji examine your tongue, Jaken. I am assuming there is some such injury to it since it has left its home in your mouth. Head over to have it checked and return here," Sesshoumaru instructed, raising his hand to stop Jaken when he was about to protest. Sending me one last glare, Jaken rose from his seat and, after bowing to Sesshoumaru, he headed out of the room.

"What on earth provoked you to show your tongue and cross your eyes?" Sesshoumaru questioned, not bothering to glance up from the scroll he was looking over. The fact that we were the only two left in the room, clearly assured me that I was the one he was talking to. Unable to come up with any rational reason, I simply remained quiet while beginning to chew on my lower lip. "There is no point in denying it either, the shield on my wall is quite reflective."

Glancing up in confusion, I looked around until I spotted what he was referring to. Across from where I was standing was a large, silver shield hung on his wall, clearly showing my confused expression to not only me, but Sesshoumaru as well. "Well, I'll be. Didn't know that was there," I replied with a shrug and couldn't prevent the small chuckle that escaped.

"Is it not your job to notice things?" he inquired as he glanced back over his shoulder at me. Instead of replying, I merely shook my head no, to which he raised an eyebrow again. "I would think one whose job is to protect my life would need to have at least the basics of noticing skills. How else is one, in this case you, supposed to noticed when something is out of place?"

"Well, that's just it," I began, only to realize that this wasn't my friend Inuyasha I was talking to and leaving off his title may very well get me into trouble, "milord. My job is to spot things that are out of the norm, things that don't belong. If I were to spend my time noticing everything that belongs in this room, I would be too distracted to notice what does not. Even a moment's distraction could cost you your life."

"Tell me, girl, do you truly believe that I, Sesshoumaru, heir to the Western Kingdom, would require the aid of a child to protect me? So do you think that the sword I carry is merely a decoration?" he inquired in a tone that made it hard to tell if he was annoyed or amused by our conversation.

"My name is not girl, milord, it is Kagome and I am not a child, not unless you are as well seeing as I too have seen 16 summers. And whether you require my help or not is pretty moot," I told him, to which he once again raised an eyebrow in question. "My job is to protect your life, not protect your life in the event that you need help. So whether you actually need the help or I am merely an annoyance for you, my job remains the same. Now would you mind if I open the shutters, milord? It is quite stuffy in here."

He continued to stare at me for a moment, seemingly confused by my abrupt change of subject, before nodding and turning his attention back to the scroll he had been reading. Giving him a quick bow, I made my way over to the window behind him and unlatched them before opening up the wooden shutters. The cool night air began to fill the room immediately as well as carry in the music from below.

"Oh, it's a new song," I realized with a smile before remembering where I was and moving back to my spot next to his desk. I began to sway my head to the music, even as I kept an eye on him and the room and before I knew it, I was humming quietly. Apparently it was not quiet enough though since I managed to get his attention once again. "Oh, sorry milord."

He shuffled the papers around on his desk for a moment before standing and walking over to me. Worrying that I might have gotten myself into trouble, I kept my eyes fixed on the floor and didn't make a sound. "Seeing as there is a festival going on down there and we are currently stuck here, perhaps we should take a moment to enjoy it as well."

Confused, I raised my gaze to meet his own and found him holding out his hand to me. Unsure of what else to do, I gently placed my smaller one in his and he began pulling me to the center of the room. His other hand made its way around my waist as he began leading us in one of the new-age dances foreigners had brought to the country recently. Feeling my cheeks begin to heat up slightly, I turned my gaze away from him as I followed his lead.

"I do believe you are the best soldier I have danced with," Sesshoumaru informed me after the music had ended and I bowed to him out of routine. Hearing what he had said, I glanced up at him in shock and it took me a few moments to regain my voice.

"Milord, did you just make a joke?" I inquired, unable to believe what I had just heard. Sesshoumaru was well-known around the kingdom for being very stoic and hard. The idea that he had just cracked a joke seemed impossible to me.

"What, did you think I did not have a sense of humor? Even I enjoy a good laugh now and then," he informed me as he released my hand and stepped back. Though he didn't show it, I was pretty sure I had either hurt his feelings or at the very least insulted him. Neither of which had ever been my intention.

"I am sorry milord, I didn't mean to suggest you didn't, it simply caught me off guard. I mean, of course you have a sense of humor, I just did not think you would share such a thing with me. Forgive me," I pleaded as I bowed deeply to him, afraid he might be angry with me or worse, tell Lord Toga about it.

"I shall forgive you on one condition," he informed me and he stopped and turned back toward me. I quickly nodded my head, not really caring what the condition might be. "You must join me for another dance," he insisted as he held his hand out to me again. I stood there staring at him for a moment longer before smiling and placing my hand in his. As soon as our hands touched, he pulled me closer and once again began leading me around the room.

* * *

Pulling her attention back to the present, Kagome noticed that some time had passed and mentally smacked herself for letting her mind get carried away. Quickly glancing around to make sure nothing was out of place, she sighed in relief and felt a presence coming from behind her. Already knowing who it was, she merely smiled. "Well, hello there," Kagome greeted as she turned to glance over her shoulder at Sesshoumaru who had been trying to sneak up on her.

"I wanted to say goodbye. Father has asked me to lead a hunting party and we shall depart soon," Sesshoumaru informed her, ignoring the fact that he had just been caught trying to get the drop on her.

"Well then, all I ask is that you be safe, have a good hunt and please bring back some extra rabbits this time. Somehow we always seem to run out too quickly," Kagome replied as she turned around to quickly kiss him on the lips before turning back to guard her post.

"I will see what I can do," Sesshoumaru promised as he leaned over to kiss her temple just as his father began calling to him from the ground, letting him know it was time to leave. "Until later," he whispered in her ear before turning and heading back toward the ladder.

7:30...

Lord Toga watched as the hunting party rode off before turning to his youngest son standing to his right. "Have more of your men guard the direction they left in. If anything is to happen, I want to know the moment it does so we may send men to their aid," Toga informed him, gaining a slight nod from Inuyasha.

"Don't worry Father, Sesshoumaru will be perfectly fine," Inuyasha assured him before giving him a slight bow and walking away. Making his way over to where Bankotsu was posted, he quickly climbed the ladder before walking over to him. "Get Sango and Kagura and head over to Kagome's post to watch the north."

"Alright, but what's going on? Has there been word of an attack coming from the north that I haven't heard about?" Bankotsu inquired, wondering why Inuyasha would pull him off of the post that he himself had assigned him to.

"Nah, my father just wants to keep extra eyes on the direction the hunting party when in case anything attacks it. Sesshoumaru and the men could handle it if anything did, but my father wants to take extra precaution."

"Understood, I will let the other two know," Bankotsu assured Inuyasha before he turned and started in the direction Sango was keeping post. Behind him, he could hear Inuyasha telling a couple of guards that they were going to be taking up watch at the three posts about to be vacated.

7:35...

Hearing laughter from below, Kagome turned to find some of the kingdom's children coming out into the courtyard to play. She allowed her eyes to roam over each of them with a smile. First was Shippo, a small boy of only seven summers with fiery red hair. He wore a light blue haori with small, white leaves adorning it, a dark blue hakama and a golden kataginu.

Next was Rin who had seen eight summers. She had dark hair, part of which was pulled up in a small ponytail, and wore an orange and white checkered kimono with a green obi. After her was Kohaku, younger brother of Sango, who was 11 summers. He wore an amber haori and a topaz hakama.

The last to come running out was Kanna, younger sister to Kagura, who was also 11 summers. She had long, white hair, much like the members of the royal family, though there was no relation. She wore a pure white kimono.

She continued to watch as they began to play a game of tag until she heard movement behind her. Turning, Kagome found Sango, Kagura and Bankotsu climbing up the ladder and heading toward her. "What brings you this way? Shouldn't you still be at your posts?" Kagome inquired as she glanced at each of them in turn.

"Lord Toga wanted extra eyes on the hunting party's' direction. Inuyasha put guards at our posts," Bankotsu explained as he walked over to stand to her right as Sango and Kagura took up positions to her left.

"Ah, so I am stuck with you. Or perhaps you are stuck with me," Kagome replied with a smile before turning back to glance out at the horizon. Though her back was turned, she continued to keep an ear on the children's laughter behind her.

"It would seem that way, at least until the hunters return," Sango agreed with a smile as she turned toward Kagome for a moment. Noticing her attention was elsewhere, Sango glanced over at the others in question before drifting her gaze back to Kagome. "What is it?"

"Something is off," Kagome replied, not bothering to glance at Sango, as her gaze continued to follow something in the shadows that only she seemed to notice. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Guard my post for me, I'm going to go check it out," Kagome told them as she began making her way toward the ladder.

"Alright," Sango replied more to herself as she turned back to the others. Bankotsu and Kagura merely shrugged their shoulders, neither of them having any more information on what Kagome might have seen than Sango. Sighing, she turned to watch after her friend as the other two turned back to watch toward the north.

7:40...

"What have you to report?" Lord Toga inquired after his advisor Totosai had positioned himself on a cushion before his desk. Totosai pulled a rolled up scroll out of his haori and began to unroll it.

"Jinenji reports that all of the infected have been contained in the medic hut. He assures that there are no more in the kingdom that will become ill," Totosai read before glancing up at Lord Toga.

"How many dead?" After posing the question, he turned to glance out a nearby window. In the courtyard he could see his subjects going about their day and a group of children chasing after each other.

"20. Another five won't last through the night, but that number is much lower than it could have been. We were fortunate. Had Jinenji not spotted the symptoms when he did, the number could have easily reached the hundreds." Receiving a nod of dismissal, Totosai rose and exited the office.

7:45...

In the shadows outside of the office, a figure lurked, the bright sun glinting off of a metal object in his hand. Through the open window, he watched as an elderly man exited the room, closing the shoji door behind him. Before his view to the hallway was cut off, he spotted an armed guard on either side of the doorway.

Glancing to his right, he noticed the kingdom's lord hunched over a scroll he was currently writing on. The parchment too far away to read, he gave it not a second thought and waited for just the right moment. No more than a minute or two later, the opportunity presented itself as clouds rolled in to block the sun's rays, covering the floor beneath the open window in shadows.

The Lord, too engrossed in what he was doing, never noticed the dimming light. Having no intention of loosing such an opportunity, the shadowed figure glanced once more toward the door. Confident there would be no interruptions forthcoming, he began crawling in through the window. Silently, he lowered himself to the floor and pressed his back against the wall. Had the lord glanced over, he would see nought but the shadows caused by the candle adorning his desk and the cloud-covered sun outside.

As it was, the figure need not worry about his chances of being spotted since the lord never removed his eyes from the scroll in front of him. Moving silently along the wall, the figure came up behind and to the left of his intended victim, raising a blade above his head. Though what happened next took only moments, for those involved, time seemingly slowed.

As the man's arm began a downward arc, the shoji door was thrown open, banging when it reached the end of the track, causing both the lord and his would-be assailant's heads to snap up. At the same moment that they realized a woman was standing in the doorway with a bow armed, she released the arrow. In the dead silence of the room, the whooshing sound created by the arrow, speeding toward its target, was almost deafening.

The lord, about to call for aid, stayed his tongue when he realized the arrow had not struck him and it was well-known that the bow's owner did not miss what was aimed for. Glancing over his shoulder in confusion, he noticed a man wearing a dark haori and hakama. Other than his deep brown eyes, his facial features and hair were covered by another piece of dark cloth wrapped around his head.

The only other noticeable thing was the fact that the long, dark sleeve, covering his right arm, was pinned to the wall by a lone arrow. "Are you harmed milord?" Her voice drawing his attention, he glanced back to find her moving toward him, bow already positioned on her shoulder. Behind her, a guard entered the room and rushed toward the lord.

"I am well, Kagome. It would seem you arrived at the right moment. How did you know of him?" Toga inquired gesturing to the man behind him as Kagome glanced him over. No doubt visually confirming that he was indeed unharmed. Before she had the chance to respond, a bell rung out through the kingdom, no doubt rung by the other guard that was supposed to be posted outside the door, alerting the others that an attempt had been made on his life.

7:55

Hearing the alarm bell, Inuyasha began rushing to his father's office. It was not hard to discern who had been attacked as he knew it not to have been himself and his brother was currently away, leaving only one family member to be in danger. As he arrived in the office, he found his father standing off in the corner behind two armed guards and Kagome tying up a man behind the desk.

"Bring him to a holding cell," Inuyasha ordered the two guards once Kagome's job was finished and turned toward Lord Toga. "Are you alright, Father?" Making his way over, Inuyasha gave his father a once-over to make sure he was unharmed.

"I am quite alright thanks to Kagome here." Toga replied as he smiled over at her before turning back to his son. He watched as he was given another once-over before Inuyasha nodded, seemingly believing that he was indeed unharmed.

"Just doing my job." With a smile, Kagome bowed to Lord Toga before turning her attention to Inuyasha. "I must be getting back to my post."

"I'll need to debrief you as soon as we get him settled in. I'll come find you when I'm ready," Inuyasha told her and with another bow, Kagome exited the room.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

AN: Heads up warning for this chapter, there is mention and descriptions of torture. Rating goes up for this chapter because of it. Consider yourself warned.

Gratz to Janey-in-a-bottle for the correct answer of Sango, this chapter is dedicated to you. Next round: 'companion' Who am I? Also the first, on each site, to correctly guess who the prisoner is will get a shout out in the next chapter. And yes, he is from Inuyasha.

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

The following takes place between 8am and 9am...

8:00

"I must go tend to the interrogation, Father. I trust you will be alright now?" Inuyasha inquired turning toward his father after watching Kagome walk out of the office. Lord Toga reassured his son that he would be fine and, with a bow, Inuyasha turned and headed out of the room as well.

Quickly making his way down into the dungeon, Inuyasha passed a few cells containing other prisoners, but most remained empty. Each cell was rather small, only six by six feet, the only objects housed within were a small, worn futon on one side and a bucket on the other. Feeling sorry for the guards who had to deal with said buckets, Inuyasha continued on to the last cell.

Unlike the others before it, this one wasn't a normal cell. Instead of a futon there was a chair, instead of a bucket there was a wall full of tools. All sharp, most rusted. In the center of the room, seated in the chair, was the man who had attempted to take the life of Lord Toga a little while ago. As Inuyasha walked up to the cell door, the guard standing next to it quickly opened it and moved out of the way.

"Head back upstairs, I will deal with him alone," Inuyasha told them without bothering to glance their way as he made his way into the cell and stood in front of him. Behind him he could hear the guards reclosing the cell and heading off down the corridor. Giving the man in front of him a onceover, Inuyasha noticed the features that had been hidden by the dark cloth before.

He had short, spiky teal hair pulled back with a thin piece of black cloth and dark eyes that were currently trained on a spot on the wall. His face was hard, almost as if it was set in stone. With a rather large and robust physique, how he manged to move his weight around without making any sound, Inuyasha was unsure. "What is your name?" Inuyasha questioned as he began walking around him and stopping directly behind him.

"You're only going to make this harder on yourself. Answer my questions and this will be as painless as possible. What is your name?" Again his question went unanswered and Inuyasha moved back around so he was in front of him. Still his dark eyes were trained on the wall and he seemed un-inclined to answer the question. "Last warning, after this, things start to hurt."

Shrugging, Inuyasha headed over to the wall and removed a small blade from its hook. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Moving back to stand in front of him once again, Inuyasha made sure to put the knife within his line of vision before leaning over slightly and touching the tip of the blade to his arm. Seeing no response, he began dragging the blade across his skin, leaving a thin trail of blood in it's wake.

The man never even flinched. Moving up his arm slightly, Inuyasha repeated the process and once again there was no response. "A little deeper maybe?" Inuyasha questioned rhetorically as he placed the blade on a clean patch of skin and dug it in slightly before dragging it across. "You know how this is going to go, don't you? I will keep the cuts small and shallow, wouldn't want you bleeding out too quickly, now would we? And this could go on all night.

"It's only going to get worse. Whoever hired you for this job isn't worth the pain you are going to experience." Seeing a slight darting of his dark eyes, Inuyasha knew he struck a cord. "Interesting, somehow I doubt you would flinch just by mention of torture. The only other thing I mentioned...ah, so that's it. What? Didn't think we knew someone hired you for this?

"Really, did you think it would be hard to figure out? You're obviously all brawn and no brains. Idiots like you always have someone behind them. Not smart enough to come up with a plan like this all on your own." That got a rise out of him as he began struggling and trying to loosen the restraints holding him to the chair.

"Did I hit a sore spot? You can end it, you know. Just answer my questions and all of this will be over. What is your name?" Instead of answering, he turned toward Inuyasha and spit in his face. Wiping it off with his sleeve, Inuyasha shook his head. "I'll give you a few minutes to gain some brains and think things over. Don't go anywhere." Laughing at his own joke, Inuyasha turned and headed back out of the cell.

8:15

As he passed the guards outside of the dungeon, Inuyasha instructed one to have Kagome sent to his office while the other went back to guard the prisoner. Walking toward his office, Inuyasha ignored the servants that were bowing to him as he passed, his mind on other things. Who was the prisoner? Who had hired him? Why did his employer seek the death of Lord Toga?

What would have happened had Kagome not been there? Shaking his head to clear such thoughts, Inuyasha gave a slight nod as a guard opened the shoji door to his office and he walked in to find Kagome already standing there waiting for him. "That was fast," he commented with a smirk as he walked into the room, hearing the guard closing the door behind him, and made his way over to his desk.

"I took the roof, it's quicker," Kagome replied with a smile as she folded her legs beneath her and sat down in front of his desk. "Right after Sango and the others showed up at my post, I noticed a movement in the shadows. Getting a bad feeling, I decided to follow after it. I lost the target somewhere in the shadows outside near Lord Toga's office.

"Deciding Lord Toga was most likely the intended target, I opted to head straight to his office rather than continue to look for the shadow. When I arrived, I threw open the door, hoping to startle the assassin and once I saw he was about to attack Lord Toga, I fired a single arrow at him, pinning him to the wall by his sleeve. After making sure Lord Toga was unharmed, I began collecting the assailant. The rest you already know."

"At any time did you see Jakotsu? He was supposed to be posted in my father's office." Inuyasha commented after going through her account in his head. Where Jakotsu was had been bothering him since he walked into his father's office to find Kagome there in his stead.

"No, but lord Toga informed me that he had sent Jakotsu on an errand when I asked after him. It seems the information he was carrying was sensitive and Lord Toga did not trust it with one of the normal guards," Kagome explained, Jakotsu's location having been the first thing she inquired about after making sure the lord was okay.

"Alright, that will be all for now. You may return to your post, I must head back down. It's going to take a while to break this one," Inuyasha told her as he stood and they began making their way over toward the door.

"If he's giving you problems, Inuyasha, perhaps you should send Bankotsu down. I realize it's a bit early to be using his expertise, but considering the target was Lord Toga, it would be best to get the information out of him as soon as possible. It is very likely that this will not be the last attempt by whoever hired him."

"I believe you are right. I will walk you back to your post and talk to Bankotsu myself," Inuyasha decided as Kagome slide the shoji door open and they walked out into the hallway, the guard closing the door behind them.

8:20

"Milord, are you injured?" Myoga inquired as he rushed into the office, Totosai and Hosenki close behind him. The three quickly made their way over to the desk Lord Toga was seated behind, not bothering to wait for his response and checking him over to make sure he was unharmed.

"I am fine. Kagome arrived just in time to stop my assailant. I was thinking that perhaps we should have another medal made for her. Saving my life should easily earn her one," Toga suggested as he glanced up from the scroll he was reading to look at his advisors.

"An excellent idea, milord. We will begin working on it immediately if you do not require our presence here at the moment," Totosai replied, noticing the lord still had quite a few scrolls on his desk that he needed to go through and figuring he wouldn't want to be disturbed at that moment.

"No, that will be all for now. You are dismissed," Toga informed them before turning his attention back to the scroll. The three advisors bowed and began heading out of the office, shutting the shoji door behind them. As they made their way down the hallway, those around them could hear them discussing the medal they were about to have commissioned.

Finally finishing the scroll before him, Toga rolled it back up and set it with the others he had read. Standing, he stretched and began making his way over to the window. Looking out over the kingdom, Toga let his mind wander to the events of earlier. Once again he owed his life to the young woman that had captured his son's heart.

"And yet I am unable to give to them that which they desire," Toga complained to the empty room around him. Placing his hands upon the window sill, Toga closed his eyes and breathed in the morning air. Letting his breath out slowly, he tightened is grip. "There must be some option I have over looked. Some way to ensure my son's happiness while at the same time, protecting the kingdom. Perhaps if I were to look for a wife for myself rather than him. We would still gain an ally and he could marry as he wishes."

Just as he had finished speaking, the shoji door opened once again to reveal Jakotsu. "I'm sorry I am so late to return milord, Jinenji had me wait until he finished writing a reply. Forgive me for not being here when you were attacked, I shall accept any punishment you wish to bestow on me," Jakotsu informed him as he knelt down on his knees and placed his forehead on the floor, his arms outstretched in front of him.

"Rise, Jakotsu, I have no need nor desire to punish you. You were simply doing what I had asked of you and it is not your fault that I was in danger. Think nothing more of it," Toga insisted as he turned and began making his way back over to his desk.

8:25

"Bankotsu," Inuyasha called out as they made it to the top of the ladder and began making their way over to the three still stationed at Kagome's post. Bankotsu, Kagura and Sango turned toward them as they approached. "I've got a different assignment for you, the girls can watch this post."

"Alright. See you three later," Bankotsu told them with a smile and began following after Inuyasha. Behind them, they could hear Sango inquiring about what was going on and as Kagome began to explain, they moved too far out of range to hear what was being said.

"I'm sure by now you have heard about the attack on my father. We have the assailant down in a cell, but I am unable to get him to even tell me his name. Your new assignment is to see if you can get anything out of him. Use any means necessary, there is a good chance that whoever hired him will send a second assassin once he learns that the first attempt failed. We need to learn who hired him and if he's working with anyone else as soon as possible."

"Alright, Inuyasha. I'll get right on it and keep you up to date on anything I learn," Bankotsu assured him as he gave Inuyasha a quick bow before turning and heading in the direction of the dungeon. Inuyasha watched until he is no longer in sight before heading back up the ladder. As he reached the top, the girls turn toward him in question.

"Don't have anything else to do right now, so I'm going to take over Bankotsu's post," Inuyasha explained with a shrug as he walked over to stand near them. Kagome replied with a half-attempt of a shrug before turning her attention back to the horizon.

8:30

The silent air around the location of the convoy's ambush was broken by a soft moan. Large pieces of wood were pushed aside from the wreckage of one of the wagons, revealing a battered guard beneath. Grunting, he lifted the rest of the of the debris off of himself and glanced around the surrounding area. Finding nothing but smoldering wood and badly burnt bodies, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm him nerves.

Taking a moment to wonder why he had not been burned as well, the guard began slowly making his way to his feet. Another quick glance around assured him that none of the people responsible for the destruction around him were still nearby. Giving a quick prayer to whatever Kami had gotten him through the attack relatively unharmed, he began searching the surrounding area for anything that might help him get to the other convoy to warn them of what has happened.

Just as he was about to give up, everything he had found too badly damaged to do him any good, he heard a whine coming from behind him. Turning he found a horse that had only been slightly wounded. Figuring the attackers missed it because it had wandered off, the guard began slowly making his way toward the animal, doing his best not to spook it. The horse neighed and stomped its forefeet a few times, but other than that, it made no move to run away.

Taking it as a good sign, the guard reached his hand out and slowly began stroking the horse's mane. Sure it wasn't going to spook, the guard slowly moved to the side and began mounting the horse. "Hurry," he whispered in its ear and the horse began galloping away from the horrifying scene behind him. "We must warn the other convoy," he explained to the horse, who merely neighed in response.

8:35

After making a stop by his own chamber to pick up his personal tools, Bankotsu began making his way down to the dungeon. It wasn't that he disliked the tools he knew would be down in the cell he was currently heading to, he just knew that his would have more of an effect, and a lot quicker. Ignoring the prisoners in the cells as he walked by, Bankotsu quickly made it down to the last cell and nodded to the guard who was standing outside of the small room.

Giving him a slight bow, the guard turned and opened the cell door for him before stepping back out of the way. "Lock the door and head back down the hall. I may need your assistance later though, so do not stray far," Bankotsu instructed before turning his attention to the man seated in front of him. Giving him a once over, he gauged what it would take to make a man like him talk and noticed the work Inuyasha had already done.

"You know, you should have just answered Inuyasha-sama's questions, but since you didn't, I guess I get to have some fun. You know why I was sent down instead of Inuyasha-sama returning, don't you? What you are about to go through, that's my specialty. I'm quite good at it. Now I am sure Inuyasha-sama gave you the opportunity to talk before he began torturing you. I, however, have no desire to do so. See, if you were to talk now, I wouldn't get to have any fun.

"So this is how this is going to work. I'm going to start cutting, not bothering to ask you any questions, since I am sure you are at least bright enough to already know what I'm going to ask. Eventually you will start talking, they all do, but I won't be stopping simply because you start singing. Oh no, I will continue you until you pass out from blood loss, then when you wake up, I will repeat the process all over again. It will continue on like this either until I am satisfied that you have given me all of the information or until I get bored, and I should warn you, I haven't gotten bored yet."

Setting the bundle, he had carried with him, down on the floor, Bankotsu began unrolling it. Each time more of his tools were revealed, he could hear the man behind him flinch in his seat and his smile grew wider. Picking up the first one, a very thin and exceptionally sharp blade, Bankotsu turned around and watched as the man's eyes grew impossibly large. "And this is just the beginning."

8:40

Startling slightly as the first scream echoed throughout the kingdom, Kagome turned to the others shaking her head. "Looks like Bankotsu has started. I would not want to be that man right now," Kagome told them, cringing.

"I don't think anybody would ever want to be that man at this moment. Remind me to never get on Bankotsu's bad side," Kagura joked a moment before another scream ran out. "Damn, he just jumped right in, didn't he?"

"There's no other way, really. Any information he can get out of him is going to be time-sensitive. And he should have thought about that before accepting an assignment like that," Inuyasha replied with a shrug. Deciding he was right, the girls let the matter drop, they didn't really feel like spending their time discussing torture anyways.

"Open the gate!" Kagome shouted to the guards below them, startling not only them, but those around her as well. "Don't just stand there gawking at me, open the damn gate!" Kagome shouted again as she turned and began making her way down toward the ladder. Seeing what she had noticed, Inuyasha turned and followed after her.

"You heard her, open the damn gate!" Inuyasha demanded and the guards began scrambling around to do as he bid. Kagome sent them a sneer before positioning herself in front of the gate. After a moment, Inuyasha was standing by her side and they watched as the gate opened to reveal the hunting party's return.

"Is everything alright, milord? You have returned early," Kagome pointed out as she gave Sesshoumaru a onceover to make sure he hadn't been harmed. Seeing nothing wrong with him, she quickly glanced over the other hunters and noticed with dread that they were missing about half of the men they had left with them.

"We are unharmed. I heard the alarm bell. The rest of the men are still out hunting. I see you are here and unharmed, little brother. Is it then Father who was attacked?" Sesshoumaru inquired, turning his attention away from Kagome.

"Father is unharmed, there was an attempt made on his life, but it was intercepted by Kagome. Father's in his office," Inuyasha explained, making sure to set his mind at ease by letting him know first off that their father was fine. Not bothering to reply, Sesshoumaru handed off the meat he had brought back with him to Inuyasha and began heading toward his father's office.

Grumbling about being stuck with the meat, Inuyasha began heading off to put it away with the other hunters that had returned. Behind him he could hear Kagome instructing the guards to reclose the gate and to put Sesshoumaru's horse in the stable.

8:45

Taking a break to stretch, Bankotsu surveyed his handiwork. Spaced almost equally along the man's arms, were open, bleeding sores - spots where a thin layer of flesh was flayed off, going just deep enough to be excruciatingly painful and slightly bloody. Other than screams, he had still yet to say anything. Deciding to take it another step further, Bankotsu called down the hall for the guards.

It only took them a few moments to be standing near the cell door and turning his attention toward them, Bankotsu made sure to block their view of the prisoner. The last thing he needed was for the guards to get sick. "I need you to bring me a table and four strips of cloth. And be quick about it," Bankotsu instructed and watched for a moment as the guards hurried off back down the hall before turning back to the prisoner.

They both remained silent the entire time the guards were gone and it wasn't until they had placed the table right outside the room, that Bankotsu spoke up again. "Undress him and tie him facedown on the table. For your own sakes, do not look at or touch his arms. Make sure he is secure and then you may leave." Nodding, the two guards began doing as he had instructed and soon enough he was tied down and they were walking back down the hallway.

Putting his flay knife down next to the others and making a mental note to wash it later, Bankotsu picked up the next tool. This one was a long needle and walking over to a nearby torch, Bankotsu held it over the flame until it had become bright red. Making his way back over to the table, Bankotsu held the needle lengthwise across his back and listened as the skin hissed and popped from the heat. The man's howl of pain echoed off the stone walls around him causing Bankotsu to smirk once again.

Reheating the needle, Bankotsu repeated to process across his legs and watched in morbid fascination as the man fought his bindings, struggling to get lose. "That won't work you know," Bankotsu insisted as he reheated the needle once again. "And even if it did, I would simply knock you out and retie you. There's no escape, and there no point in even trying."

8:55

"Father, are you alright?" Sesshoumaru inquired as he threw the shoji door open and rushed into his father's office without waiting for his response. Giving him a onceover, he assured himself that there were no injuries just as Inuyasha had told him and allowed himself to take a deep, calming breath.

"I am perfectly fine, Sesshoumaru, as I am sure Inuyasha has already explained to you. And I have decided to give Kagome another medal, she has earned it today. So was the hunt?" Toga questioned, hoping to get the conversation off of him and his health. If he had one more person inquire of him and the attack that morning, he was likely going to scream.

"The hunt was fine, Father. Half the men are still out hunting for more meat. Where is the assailant? Who is dealing with him?" Sesshoumaru demanded, not allowing the topic to change very much.

"He is in the dungeon. Inuyasha was dealing with him, but by the sounds of the screams that started a while ago, I would have to say Bankotsu is with him now. You should have heard them by now. Do not tell me your mind was so set on seeing to my continued health that you completely missed the screams of pain."

"I heard them, Father, it just did not sink in until you told me where he was. Besides, it could have easily have been a different prisoner down there and your assailant could have gotten away. Tell me, Father, why is it Kagome saved your life, when you have this one on sentry duty at the moment? Was he not here earlier?" Sesshoumaru inquired, finally noticing Jakotsu's presence next to his father's desk.

"I had sent Jakotsu on an errand. I needed a correspondence delivered to Jinenji and would not trust a regular guard with it," Toga explained glancing over toward Jakotsu, who was incredibly tense, before turning his attention back to his son. "Perhaps you would like to go to the dungeon and check up on Bankotsu's progress yourself?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru decided after a moment and with a quick bow to his father, he turned and headed back out of the room. Once the guard had reclosed the shoji door, Jakotsu let out a sigh of relief and Lord Toga couldn't help but chuckle softly.

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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AN: Gratz to Kori for the correct answer of Rin, this chapter is dedicated to you. Next round: 'hard hearted' Who am I? By the way, I don't think this describes the character at all, but that may just be me hehe.

And a special shout out to Maeriana. Didn't get the correct answer but was the only to guess hehe. The correct answer was Kyōkotsu**.**

The following takes place between 9am and 10am...

9:00

Ignoring everything as he passed, Sesshoumaru quickly made his way toward the dungeon, hoping Bankotsu had been able to get some information out of the prisoner. The hallways and the people standing in them passed him by in a blur, not a single detail standing out in his mind. Too much else filled his subconscious at that moment to take in these useless facts that would bring him no closer to finding out anything about the attack on his father.

At the door to the cells, Sesshoumaru was met by the two guards normally positioned within the dungeon. Figuring Bankotsu had sent them out so they wouldn't be in his way, Sesshoumaru paid the two of them no mind as they bowed and opened the door for him. Behind him, he could hear the door being closed as his long strides brought him closer as a screamed died off into silence at the end of the hallway.

As he passed them by, Sesshoumaru did not bother to glance in any of the cells, already knowing Bankotsu and the prisoner would be in the last cell, the torture cell. Having used it a few times himself, Sesshoumaru knew what to expect and steeled himself before walking up to the door to the cell. Inside, he found Bankotsu standing in front of an unconscious, bloody mess, he could only assume was the assailant. "Have you learned anything of interest yet?"

"Ah Sesshoumaru-sama, welcome. I have learned quite a few things. None of which would be any good to you though. He seems rather inclined to not tell me anything truly important, but everything else irrelevant, I have learned. The first crime he committed, the name of the first man he killed. But I did learn one thing of slight interest." Bankotsu told him after thinking for a moment and turning around to face him, wiping the blood off his tool with an already bloody cloth as he did so.

As he placed it with the others he had already used, Sesshoumaru was able to get a good look at it. If you did not look very carefully, it would seem nothing more than a spike connected to a hilt, but Sesshoumaru had seen him use this particular one before and knew what it truly was. At the very tip of the hilt, there was a small button, and when pushed the spike opened up into five prongs. When you release the button, the prongs reclose, grabbing onto whatever was in their reach.

"And what did you learn that was of slight interest?" Sesshoumaru inquired after a moment, taking his attention off of the tools Bankotsu had been using on the prisoner. Bankotsu smirked at Sesshoumaru before gesturing to the man tied down on the table behind him.

"It seems my friend here, Sesshoumaru-sama, is a bona fide mercenary. Which is why I said it was only a slight interest." Bankotsu explained when Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow to question the significance of the information. "See, Sesshoumaru-sama, my friend here doesn't have any home to call his own, which means we now know that we can't track his employer back that way."

"If you know all of this, how is it you still have not learned who his employer is?" Sesshoumaru inquired glancing over at the prisoner before turning his attention back to Bankotsu.

"He claims he doesn't know, Sesshoumaru-sama. He said he was hired through a letter that showed up at his door with a down payment. No seal marked it. Which could very well be true. I know if I was going to hire a mercenary to kill a lord and went through all the trouble to make sure he couldn't be traced back to me, I sure as hell wouldn't tell him who I was either. Hell the letter was probably from a middle man anyways."

"Then perhaps you can tell me the reason to continue torturing him if you are so sure you have acquired all of the information from him already?" Sesshoumaru questioned, slightly worried when Bankotsu began smiling at him.

"Two reasons Sesshoumaru-sama: one there is always the slight chance he's lying or that I have not got all of the information out of him I can and two, it's fun." Behind him, the prisoner began to moan in pain causing Bankotsu's smile to grow larger. "It seems my friend has woken up." Bankotsu commented as he turned to look over at him.

"Step things up a notch. I want your...play time to be over soon. Get everything you can out of him as soon as it is possible. The constant screaming is getting on my nerves. I am going to have to see about making this place a bit more sound proof, we can not have prisoners screaming at all hours of the day and night." Sesshoumaru decided before turning and heading back the way he had come.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, might I ask you a favor?" Bankotsu inquired getting his attention. Sesshoumaru stopped and turned back toward him in question. "Can you ask the guards at the front to bring me some hot coals, burning oil and some saké?"

"Do I want to know why you want saké?" Sesshoumaru wondered, raising a single eyebrow in question. Bankotsu merely shook his head with a smile Sesshoumaru thought looked more evil than any smile had right to. "Inform me if you learn anything new." Having nothing further to discuss with Bankotsu, Sesshoumaru turned back around and resumed his trek down the hallway.

9:15

"Open the gates!" Inuyasha called out when he spotted the approaching hunting party. Unlike when Kagome had told the guards to do so earlier that morning, the guards jumped up to obey his command. Rolling his golden eyes, Inuyasha quickly made his way down the ladder to greet the hunters as they returned.

By the time Inuyasha was in position, the gates had been opened and the hunters were already beginning to make their way back into the kingdom. Spotting the youngest son of their lord waiting for them, the men stopped in front of him, bowing their heads. "Has everyone returned?" Inuyasha questioned as he glanced over the the hunters and tried to remember how many had gone out that morning and how many had returned with Sesshoumaru a little while before.

"Yes Inuyasha-sama, we have all returned." One of the men in the front assured him. Inuyasha took a moment to glance over at him and quickly decided he was probably the one Sesshoumaru left in charge when he left the hunting party to come back to the kingdom.

"Alright. Bring the meat to the preparing hut. Then go break your fast." Inuyasha told them before turning to glance up where the others were staring down at him from their post. "Sango, Kagura you two go back to your previous posts. Kagome keep this post, I'm going to go check on Bankotsu and see how he's doing." Inuyasha informed them before turning and walking away. Behind him, he could hear the girls saying their goodbyes.

9:20

Finally arriving at his office, Sesshoumaru spared a quick glance at one of the guards stationed at his door. "Have Kagome sent to me and hold her post until she returns." he commanded before making his way into the room and heading over to his desk. Behind him, he could hear the rustling of clothing, signifying the guard had bowed and walked away.

As he sat gracefully behind his desk, his advisor Jaken entered the room and bowed before him. "Jaken, head down to the dungeon and keep me up to date on anything Bankotsu is able to learn from the prisoner." Sesshoumaru commanded and watched as his advisor bowed once again before turning and making his way back out of the room.

Alone with his thoughts, Sesshoumaru allowed them to wander. The hunt had already been successful before he left, so there was no doubt in his mind that they would have plenty of meat when they returned. So at least that was one less thing he had to worry about at the moment. Next his thoughts drifted to the man down in the dungeon, who judging by the screams, was being tortured again.

Was it really as he claimed and he knew nothing about his employer? Or was Bankotsu correct in thinking he might be lying or at the very least withholding information? If this was the case, what could they still learn from him and would it be in time to prevent any other attempts on his father's life? Who could want his father dead to begin with?

Though the kingdom's enemies were vast, very few, if any, had the resources to back something like this. The only person he could think of that would be able to pull off something like this, was an ally not an enemy. And he couldn't think of even a single reason the lord of the east would back of their treaty and try to attack his father. Not after 20 summers of being allies.

Giving up on this train of thought, Sesshoumaru allowed his mind to wander to the girl currently on the way to his office. How many summers had it been since that festival where it all began? _The harvest festival four summers back, that was it._ It was unimaginable that that night she was posted as royal guard in his office could have started all of this, but it did. Sesshoumaru was still unclear as to what it was that possessed him to ask her to dance, but he knew he hadn't regretted it for even a moment.

Some how she had managed to get royal guard duty in his office for the next festival as well. It was in honor of a Lady that came seeking position as his wife and he knew the only reason he got through that night unscathed and unmarried was because of her. After that night, he had Inuyasha put her on royal guard with him any other night a potential wife was staying at the kingdom. But that night would always remain burned into his mind.

Flashback

What in the world father was thinking, I doubt I will ever have even the slightest of ideas. He can not seriously think I would wish to marry a Lady like that, and I use the term loosely, very loosely. Most of the Ladies he brings here, while are not really in my taste, they are at the very least decent women. This one though...Did father even know a single thing about her before he brought her here?

He must not have or she was able to pretend to be a Lady before coming here where she let her true self be known. It is not possible that father would have brought her here even as a joke, or at least his version of a joke, if he had known what she was truly like. There was just no chance he would subject me to this on purpose.

Deciding to clear my mind of the woman some where in the kingdom, preferably far away from me, I entered my office to find my royal guard already in position. Inuyasha had informed me there would be one when I saw him a while ago, but he had not told me who it would be. It would seem that my night was finally getting better.

As I began making my way over to my desk, she bowed her head to me, her chocolate eyes never leaving my own golden ones. "So I am stuck with you tonight?" I inquired, fighting the urge to smirk at her as I sat down and began going through the scrolls on my desk.

"It would seem, milord, that I am the one stuck with you. Considering certain problems currently residing in the kingdom, I do believe that I am a blessing for you." Kagome replied, not bothering to hide her smirk, before looking forward again.

"A blessing? Perhaps you are correct in that assumption, as this 'problem' you spoke of is really tiring to say the least, but who is to say that you yourself will not become a problem for me as well?" I inquired, not bothering to look up from my scrolls even as I felt her gaze burning holes in my back. My face hidden by my hair, I did not bother to fight the smirk that made its way to my lips.

"Me a problem? For you milord? Never. I would not dream to throw myself at you unabashedly, whispering propositions into your ears about what I would do to you had we been alone. Things no 'Lady' should even know what they were. I would not force myself into your lap and molest certain parts of your body practically in full view of not only your subjects but your lord father as well." she told me, startling me. I had not been aware anyone had heard or seen what the woman had done as we broke our fast that morning. "Had I been inclined to do any of the above, I would have waited until we were very much alone, kinda like now."

Startling again, I quickly glanced over at her to find laughter dancing in her deep, brown eyes. Wiping any shock that might have been visible off of my face, I decided to turn the tables on her. "And if a Lady should not know what such things meant, how is it that you do?" I inquired, waiting for the blush to appear on her cheeks. It never came, instead she turned the tables back on me.

"But milord, I do not ever remember claiming to be a Lady. I do, however, believe that I know the meaning of somethings that would cause even you to blush. Perhaps I can show you what I mean?" Kagome inquired as she licked her plump lips, looking me over, before she moved to step in my direction. Thrown off by such blatantness, I could not stop myself from jumping back and putting my desk between us.

Stopping, she simply stared at me for the longest time before soft laughter began tinkling from her lips. The light, melodious sound soon turned into a full, roaring laughter as she bent at the waist and held onto her sides. It wasn't long before tears began to gather in her eyes and she tried to get her breathing under control. "Milord, if I may say so," she began only to stop to take a deep breath, "you are absolutely adorable when you blush." Having finished her observation, she erupted into another fit of laughter.

Having no desire to sit there and listen to the woman laughing at me, I stood and made my way to her side before she was able to see me move from behind the desk. Steeling my face in the most serious expression I had, I waited until she noticed I was standing mere inches from her and her gaze locked onto my own. "You have me at a disadvantage and I do believe that it is my turn to make you blush. I wonder, just what does it take to make a solider blush?"

"Milord, I am sorry to have to inform you, but there is nothing you can say that would cause me to blush. I am afraid I have already heard it all." Kagome replied forcing herself to swallow. This close to her, I could hear her heart pounding and feel her hot breath fanning across my face. Her eyes flitted around the room, landing on everything in sight besides myself.

"And who, my dear Kagome, ever said I was going to use my voice to make you blush?" I questioned as I allowed my voice to drop, causing it to become husky. The shiver that ran through her body, did not go unnoticed by me. "I do believe it would be better if I showed you, do you not agree?" I inquired with a smirk but before she was able to answer, the shoji door was opened.

"There you are milord, I have been looking everywhere for you." a very grating voice told me, causing my face to harden and the light mood I had been in to disappear in an instant. "I was thinking we could start working on the wedding plans that way the wedding night could come even sooner." she continued, in what I was sure she thought to be a sensual voice, causing me to fist my hands at my side.

Before I was able to come up with any kind of answer, that did not involve killing her, Kagome looked me straight in the eye, a smirk forming on her face. And what could only be described as an evil glint in her eyes. Allowing her face to split in a huge smile, Kagome glanced over my shoulder at the woman behind me. "You're planning the wedding? Oh daddy Toga must have sent you! Can you believe that guy? Insisting I call him daddy Toga. I mean I know I'm going to be marrying his oldest son and all, but doesn't that seem a bit strange to you?

"Well no matters. You and I must sit down and discuss my plans for our wedding. I was thinking next spring at sunset. All the flowers in full bloom with the sun setting in the background, wouldn't that just be perfect? What do you think koi?" Kagome inquired turning her attention toward me as I stood there dumb struck at her actions and words. Clearing my head, I decided to play along with her little game.

"I think sunset would be best, my dear, the fading sun glimmering off of your hair would make you even more beautiful." I told her as I reached my hand up and ran my fingers across her cheek. Behind me I could hear the 'Lady', who I realized I did not have the slightest idea what her name was, suck in air, no doubt about to start screaming. "I believe it would be better for you to work on the wedding plans at a later date, the wedding night might be coming a little sooner than we thought."

Finding myself lost in Kagome's eyes, her seemingly lost in my own, I heard neither the 'Lady's' response nor her exit as I leaned in and pressed my lips lightly against hers. Her hands finding their way into my hair was my undoing as I pulled her flush against my chest and deepened the kiss. Her slight moan and the feel of her lips against mine were the only things I knew until I heard someone clear their throat behind me. "I am busy, go away." I commanded, not bothering to glance over to see who was there.

"So this is what she meant by you already being engaged? I had thought she was referring to a marriage engagement, but it would seem you were engaged in something else." my father said from behind me, causing me to jump back and turn to him with a bow. Next to me, I could see Kagome bowing as well, her heart still racing. From my father's entrance or the kiss, I am unsure. "Kagome?" my father questioned, spotting who I had just been 'engaged' with.

"Milord I can explain." Kagome insisted as she kept her eyes glued to the floor beneath us. Hearing her voice tremble, I glanced over to see that her body was as well. It took me a moment to realize why she was suddenly so scared of my father. She was worried she would be punished for kissing his heir rather than doing her job. As she opened her mouth to try and explain what had just happened, I stepped in front of her and looked my father in the eye.

For a moment he did nothing more than raised an eyebrow at me before finally sighing. "Do what you wish for now son, but know that it can not last. One day you will need to take a wife and it will not be her. Your marriage must mean another alliance for us." my father warned me before he turned and exited the office, the guards closing the door behind him.

"Why did you do that?" Kagome questioned from behind me and as I turned, I found her staring at me in shock. Asking myself the same question I went back over what had happened. The kiss had just been to get rid of that annoying woman, but I quickly found myself disagreeing with that conclusion. Before either she or I had realized what I was doing, she was once again in my arms and my lips were dancing with hers.

"I do not know, but I have no desire to change what was done." I told her as I felt my own heart begin to race in sync with hers. "I do, however, have other desires." I whispered huskily in her ear knowing she could feel that desire for herself. The slightest of pink tinged her cheeks and she glanced away from me. "And I do believe I just won." I told her with a smirk before my lips crashed against hers once again.

End Flashback

Sesshoumaru pulled his mind back to the present as a knock sounded at the shoji door to his office. "Come in." he called out, wiping the smirk from his face and clearing his mind of the day many summers ago. Though his thirst had gone unquenched that night and every night since then, he found himself satisfied none the less with the woman who was currently walking into his office.

Stopping in front of his desk, Kagome bowed to him before standing in attention with her hands clasped behind her back. "What did you wish to speak to me about, milord?" Kagome questioned, making sure her eyes did not travel to his own as it was custom when they were in the roles of lord and solider.

"I wished to thank you for saving my father's life. I have been informed of what had transpired while I was away." Sesshoumaru told her and he gave the woman in front of him a once over. Though he had seen her upon returning to the kingdom, it had not been enough to end the longing he had suffered while away hunting.

"I was simply doing my job, milord. Had any other member of the team been there, they would have done the same." Kagome assured him with a bow of her head before glancing up to look into his golden eyes. She too had felt the longing while he was gone and thought their brief moments by the gate had not been nearly enough.

"Come here." Sesshoumaru instructed as he held out one of his hands for her and with a smile, Kagome did as he bid, walking over and placing her hand in his larger one. Before she could utter a word of objection, not that she was going to, Sesshoumaru pulled her into his lap and breathed in her scent. "I have missed you." he whispered softly into her ear, pressing his lips against hers before she was able to reply.

Pulling back from the heated kiss after a minute, Kagome smiled up at him as she ran her fingertips across his cheek. "And I you. But I must return to my post. Goodbye for now, koi." Kagome whispered before pressing her lips against his forehead for a quick kiss and removing herself from his lap. Walking out of the room, she paused before opening the door to glance back at him with a smile. A moment later she turned back around and exited the room.

9:40

"Enter." Toga called out after there was a knock at his shoji door. Glancing up from the scrolls he had been reading, he watched as his three advisors entered the room, bowed before him and moved to sit on the cushions in front of his desk. "Have you learned anything about the assailant?" he inquired, glancing at each of them in turn.

"A guard has informed us that he recognized the man as one that entered the kingdom with a group of traveling merchants yesterday. The merchants are well known here and it is doubtful that they had anything to do with the attack. All of those we questioned told us that they picked the man up a few miles before entering the kingdom." Myoga explained and the other two nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Inform Inuyasha of this new information and see if the merchants picked up anyone else on the way. They may not have been working with him, but that does not mean that others they picked up along the way were not as well." Toga insisted before dismissing them and turning his attention back to the scroll before him.

With a bow, his three advisors stood and began making their way back out of the office. As they went, they spoke quietly with each other, soon deciding to speak with Inuyasha first before heading back out to the court yard to speak with the merchants. Back in the office, Toga finished reading the scroll and after writing out a quick response, he rolled the new scroll up. Dipping his seal into a small bow of hot wax sitting above a glowing candle, he placed it against the scroll opening, assuring whoever read it that it was in fact written by him.

Blowing on the seal for a moment, he waited for the wax to cool before setting it off to the side with the other responses he had already written that morning. Working the kinks out of his neck, he reached into the 'to read' pile and pulled out the next scroll. Breaking the seal on this one, one that indicated it was from the brother of his late wife, he unrolled it and began reading the contents of the scroll.

9:45

"How are things going?" Inuyasha inquired as he glanced in the cell and found Bankotsu standing over the prisoner, who by the look of things, was once again unconscious. Noticing the blood, both dry and fresh, that covered his body, the table he was tied to and the floor beneath him, Inuyasha wasn't surprised to find him unconscious.

"Great actually, I was just going to send for you. It seems I was correct in my assumption that he had more information to give us. It would seem that I was simply not asking the right questions. He's still adamant that he doesn't know who hired him, but he has given up the name of an accomplice. And that they arrived here yesterday after meeting up with a group of traveling merchants. His accomplice is a man named Mukotsu.

"My friend here is Kyōkotsu. Doesn't seem like the merchants had anything to do with them, they merely used the poor bastards as a way to get into the kingdom. When you have the others search for his accomplice, I would see if they picked up anyone else along the way as well." Bankotsu suggested and with a quick nod, Inuyasha turned to leave.

As he was making his way back down the hallway, Inuyasha spotted Jaken carrying a sloshing bucket of water, no doubt sent for to wake the prisoner. Stopping to wait for the short man to arrive, Inuyasha took the bucket from him before he had the chance to object. "Go inform Sesshoumaru of the new information Bankotsu was able to get out of this Kyōkotsu. I'll bring Bankotsu the water." Inuyasha told him and turned around, heading back down the hall, before Jaken could utter a word in protest.

After handing the bucket over to Bankotsu, Inuyasha began making his forth trek down the hallway, the sounds of splashing water and groans of pain coming from behind him. Finally making it out of the dungeon, he stopped once again when he spotted his father's advisors making their way toward him. After being updated on what they had learned and passing along the information Bankotsu has gotten out of the prisoner, much of which was the same, Inuyasha instructed them to tell Bankotsu he was calling a meeting of his team.

In no mood to go back down in the dungeon, Inuyasha opted instead to head for where Kagome was stationed and inform her of the meeting. After instructing her to inform the others, Inuyasha began making his way back to his office to await the members of his team. It wasn't long before he was seated behind his desk, letting his mind wander to everything they had learn so far, as he waited for their arrival.

9:55-10am

"Lord Sesshoumaru." Jaken called out as he knocked on the office door but didn't receive a reply. A little worried, since his lord had told him to return to him to give him updates and he thought he would still be in his office, Jaken opened the shoji door without waiting for a response. Inside he found Sesshoumaru staring off into space, his mind seemingly on something else.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken tried again to gain his attention, this time Sesshoumaru glanced up at him, noticing his entrance for the first time. Motioning for him to approach, Sesshoumaru turned to fully face him, letting the questions about the assailant slip from him mind.

"What have you learned?" Sesshoumaru questioned after Jaken had taken his seat in front of the desk.

"The prisoner's name is Kyōkotsu and while he still claims to not know who hired him, Bankotsu was able to get an accomplice's name out of him. Him and this, Mutsuhito, met up with the band of traveling merchants, that arrived at the kingdom yesterday, some time before they arrived. It does not appear as though they were working with the merchants and Inuyasha's team will be searching for the accomplice and any other that may have been working with them."

"Very good, head back down and continue to keep me informed on what Bankotsu learns." Sesshoumaru instructed, dismissing Jaken and turning his attention to the many scrolls littering his desk. Hearing Jaken make his way out of the room, he picked up the first one and began reading it. But by the second sentence he knew he would not be able to concentrate on it and decided to allow his mind to wander back to the prisoner below.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

AN: Since no one correctly guessed the right answer, going to extend the previous chapter's 'who am I?'....'Hard hearted.' Hebi Izakaya means Serpent Tavern. Ikazuchi means thunder. A carafe is the pitcher saké is carried in. This will be the last chapter posted this month, gonna be leaving for the states for the last 10 days on the month but I should have chapters ready to be sent to my betas once I return.

The following takes place between 10am and 11am...

10:00

"Milord," Myoga called out as he knocked on the shoji door to Lord Toga's office. He waited until he was granted entrance before sliding the door open and stepping into the room. After sliding it back into place, Myoga turned around to bow to Toga before making his way over to the cushion in front of his desk. Toga waited patiently for him to seat himself and continue.

"We have learned the name of the assailant and an accomplice he has here within the kingdom. Inuyasha-sama's team will be taking care of him momentarily. Bankotsu is still seeing if he can get any more information out of this 'Kyokotsu'. I will keep you up to date on anything I learn," Myoga told him before glancing down at his lap for a moment. "Might I make a suggestion, milord?"

"Of course, Myoga," Toga assured him as he gestured for his advisor to continue. After thinking over his words for a few moments, Myoga glanced up and nodded at Toga.

"I think it would be wise to post more guards with yourself and your sons, milord. Just until the accomplice is caught and the three of you are once again safe," Myoga told him praying that he would not be given the duty to do so, the reason for his reluctance to suggest it to Lord Toga in the first place. It was no secret that the lord's oldest son was not fond of having guards in his office, stating that they often distracted him while he tried to work.

It was not hard to conclude that he would not be happy being informed more would be stationed in his office. "I agree, Myoga. You may see to it," Toga informed him before dismissing his advisor and turning his attention back to the scrolls of his desk. With a barely audible sigh, Myoga rose from his position on the floor and began making his way back out of office.

10:05

"Alright, this is what we've learned so far," Inuyasha began after his team had seated themselves on the floor in front of his desk. As he went over all of the information they had learned so far, his team kept their attention trained on him and as it went every other meeting, they were very professional. "Are there any questions before I give out new assignments?" Inuyasha inquired after he had finished updating them.

"Alright then. Miroku, Hachi and Jakotsu you three are to question the guards stationed at the gate between the time the two assailants arrived yesterday and now. Ask them if they have seen a large man, probably over 6 feet, with spiky teal hair. If they saw him, they would remember, guy sticks out like a sore thumb. Also question them to find out if he was with anyone.

"Kagome, Sango, Kirara and Kagura, you girls are to dress up as peasants and mingle with the traveling merchants. Keep your eyes out for anything or anyone suspicious. Bankotsu and Suikotsu, you two are to head back to the cell and see if you can get the accomplice's description out of him. If you are able to, or get any other new information, Suikotsu bring it to us while Bankotsu continues.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you guys this, but I am going to anyways. We are on a time limit here and what's worse is we don't even know how much time we've got before another attack. And you can believe there will be one. No one goes through this much trouble without having a back up plan or two. We need to find this accomplice, and anyone else that might have been working with them, before they have another chance to go after Lord Toga," Inuyasha insisted as he glanced at each member of his team in turn.

"What about royal guards, Inuyasha?" Kagome inquired after a moment drawing everyone's attention to her. "I realize you need us on this, but what about protecting the three of you? Perhaps you can have more guards sent to your offices," Kagome suggested after thinking for a moment.

"I'm pretty sure one of father's advisors will have already begun doing so, but I intend to make sure after this meeting. If there are no more questions, you all have your assignments," Inuyasha told them, a clear dismissal and with a bow, they each began making their way out of the office until only Inuyasha and Kagome remained.

"We will get him, Inuyasha, and any others that may be working with them. Rest assured that nothing will happen to your family while we are here to stop them," Kagome assured him putting on, what Inuyasha often referred to as, her most determined expression. "As long as I continue to breathe air, I will let no harm come to my lord or his family, you have my word on this."

"I know Kagome," Inuyasha replied with a smirk after a moment. "I have complete faith in you and our team. That, however, does not mean I'm not going to worry about them. You should get to your post, Kagome," Inuyasha instructed and with a bow to him, Kagome turned and exited the office.

10:20

"Enter," Sesshoumaru called out after their was a knock on his office door. Glancing up from his desk, he watched as five armed guards entered the room. After bowing to him, one of them stepped forward and knelt down on one knee. "Speak," Sesshoumaru commanded after a few moments of silence.

"Milord, we have been sent as extra guard for you by order of Lord Toga."

"Normal guards? Tell me, why is it that it is not one of Inuyasha's team that is in here disturbing me?" Sesshoumaru inquired after glancing over at each of the guards before turning back to the one that had been speaking.

"Lord Inuyasha currently has his team busy trying to find the accomplice and cannot spare the men. So we were sent instead, milord."

"Very well. However, it would be in your best interests to not interrupt my work. Stand guard all you want, but refrain from bothering me," Sesshoumaru commanded before turning his attention back to his advisor. "We shall move on to the West's warriors and supplies," he told Jaken, who began searching for the correct scroll, as the guards bowed once again and began taking up posts around the room.

After reading off what the scroll had written down already, Jaken began adding notes to it as Sesshoumaru instructed him what to write. Soon it was finished and Sesshoumaru sent his advisor away. Ignoring the guards in his office, Sesshoumaru made his way over to a nearby window and as he glanced down at the courtyard below, he quickly found the one he was searching for. Though, why she was wearing the clothing of a peasant, he had no idea.

10:25

"Let's split up, keep your eyes open and if you see anything, give the signal," Kagome instructed as she, Sango, Kagura and Kirara arrived in the courtyard, dressed as local peasants. "Sango, you take the northern part of the courtyard. Kagura take the east. Kirara the west. I'll check out the south."

Giving her a slight nod, the girls turned and began heading in the directions she had assigned to them. Watching until they were lost in the crowd, Kagome turned and began heading toward the southern part of the courtyard. Littered around her were stalls upon stalls of various goods, merchants selling their wares and customers haggling prices.

Paying little mind to the normal hustle and bustle going on around her, Kagome searched for anything that may have been out of place. Knowing the courtyard and its everyday life like the back of her hand, she was able to easily spot anything that wasn't supposed to be there. And within mere moments, she had already gotten her first break in the assignment. Spotting two of the merchants off to the side speaking is whispered tones, Kagome began making her way over to them, making sure to be inconspicuous.

While it may not seem so out of place to any one else to have merchants talking to each other, it was the simple fact that they were whispering that had set Kagome on her current path. The merchants that littered the courtyard were normally anything but quiet and if they were going to such lengths to not be overheard, Kagome was sure whatever they were conversing about would be worth knowing.

Pressing her back up against a nearby stall, Kagome strained to pick up the whispered words of the two men. "...believe their rude behavior. Why we allowed those men to join up with us on the way here, I am still unsure, but you would think they would at least try to be decent company."

"True, but it would seem to me that those three men do not understand the concept of decent company. The way they hassled those poor women, even going as far as punching one of their husbands when he tried to get them to leave the women alone," the second man replied causing Kagome to strain even more to hear. The mention of three men was news to her.

"I, for one, am thankful that they decided to break away from our group once arriving here. A seedy bunch they were, especially that tall one. Wearing hooded cloaks on a day like today, almost as if the did not wish to have their faces seen. Hey, you don't think those three had anything to do with the alarm bell being rung this morning do you?"

"Nah, that was probably just a drill. There wasn't enough movement of guards to be the real thing and besides they never evacuated the courtyard. Had a member of the royal family truly been in danger, they probably would have restricted the access here." Hearing enough to be sure that these two were idiots and most likely the three they were referring to did have something to do with the attack on Lord Toga that morning, Kagome began making her way to where she was sure the girls would all see her and gave the signal.

10:35

"Enter," Inuyasha called out after there was a knock on his office door. As he glanced up, he spotted Suikotsu making his way into the room. "Have you two learned anything more?" Inuyasha inquired as Suikotsu seated himself in front of the desk.

"According to the prisoner his accomplice is a rather 'short and plump' man, those are his words not mine. And he is a poisons master. But there's something else, Inuyasha-sama. Something he said made me and Bankotsu believe there might be a third member of their group. Unfortunately he had passed out before we were able to get any more information out of him.

"When I left, Bankotsu was currently working on getting him conscious once again. Hopefully he should be able to get more information out of him in a little while," Suikotsu informed him and waited for Inuyasha to give him his new assignment, since he was sure there would in fact be one.

"Alright, go inform the other two groups of this update before heading back down to help Bankotsu. I want to know the moment you find out if there is in fact a third," Inuyasha instructed and with a quick bow, Suikotsu stood and headed back out of the office.

10:40

"I agree, those three do sound suspicious. But if the merchants didn't have the chance to get a good look at them, how are we supposed to find them in this mess?" Kagura inquired, gesturing to the crowded courtyard around them.

"Divide and concur," Kagome explained with a smirk. "Kagura you and Kirara have a little chat with those two merchants," Kagome instructed gesturing to the two men who were still chatting with each other a few feet away from where they were hidden in the shadows. "Sango and I will begin searching for the other accomplices. With any luck they are still wearing their cloaks and should stand out a bit.

"If not, maybe you two can get something out of the merchants or Bankotsu can learn more from the assailant. Come find us if you learn anything," Kagome instructed and after the girls gave her a slight nod, she and Sango turned and began making their way into the crowd. Behind them, Kagura and Kirara sneaked up behind the two merchants and placing their hands over their mouths, pulled them back into the shadows where they could talk without being seen.

"So where do we begin looking?" Sango inquired after a few moments as her and Kagome weaved their way through the people.

"Something tells me our guys aren't going to be hanging out with the rest of these merchants. Our best bet is to start looking in the seediest places around the courtyard. Taverns, alleyways, the underbelly of the West," Kagome replied as she turned to glance at Sango with a grimace. "Places fine ladies like ourselves should never go," Kagome joked causing Sango to snicker.

"And just to be different, we'll start at the bottom. The dirtiest, seediest, lowest place within all of the Western Kingdom," Kagome continued and it was Sango's turn to grimace.

"You don't mean what I think you do, do you? And how are we even supposed to get in? We don't exactly blend in there," Sango pointed out as she turned to her companion a bit worried.

"Well, where else would scum be other than Hebi Izakaya and getting in will be easy. We simply have to dress as wenches," Kagome told her with a smile as she began leading Sango to the small hut the team kept extra equipment for times like this. "Besides the owners are friends of mine."

"Why am I not even the slightest bit surprised the Ikazuchi boys are your friends?" Sango questioned half rhetorically as she shook her head at Kagome and entered the hut.

"Hush you, now get dressed," Kagome told her as she tossed Sango a rather revealing kimono and began putting one on herself. Taking turns to help each other tie up the obi, the two of them were soon dressed and ready to leave.

"You realize this kimono is pretty much see through right? And it barely covers my thighs," Sango complained as she began following Kagome through the shadows along the wall

"Suck it up. Besides, you have very nice thighs," Kagome told her with a laugh as she glanced over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at Sango. "And anyways, dressed like this we are less likely to be recognized since they won't be spending much time looking at our faces."

"I'd rather be recognized," Sango grumbled under her breath as Kagome stopped walking and she almost ran into her.

"Let's go in through the back," Kagome instructed as she walked around the old, practically condemned building and slid open the shoji door. "Manten, I know you're here somewhere," Kagome called out softly as they began making their way into what turned out to be the kitchen.

"Kagome my love, it's been a while since you have graced our fine establishment with your presence," a husky voice called out making them turn in the direction it came from.

"I don't recall receiving an invitation from you lately, Hiten. Alas I do not have time to see here and flirt with you, we need to play tavern wenches for a little while," Kagome told him with a smile as she gestured to the kimonos they were wearing.

"And fine tavern wenches you would make, my love," Hiten insisted as he gave them each a onceover. "I won't bother asking why since you won't tell me anyways, but my tavern is your tavern, all ya gotta do is ask for it," Hiten told her, putting on his sexiest grin.

Giving him a wink, Kagome grabbed a couple of carafes and handed one to Sango. "We'll be out of your hair in no time," Kagome assured him with a smile as she began leading the way into the next room. Taking a moment to take everything in, Kagome glanced at each of the rotting tables, broken chairs and patches that had been placed on the walls. Noticing one of the less-than-stellar men was already flagging her down, Kagome began making her way over to him.

Behind her, Sango thought of ways to get back at her as she began making her way over to a man trying to flag her down as well. Within a few minutes, the carafes were empty and they were both making their way back toward the kitchen. "So what was that all about?" Sango questioned as Kagome began refilling.

"You mean with Hiten?" Kagome wondered as she glanced over her shoulder at Sango. After receiving a nod, she continued, "Ah, don't pay that any mind. Hiten knows I'm already spoken for. It's just a little harmless flirting we've done since the first time I threw him in a cell," Kagome explained as she turned and handed Sango her carafe.

"Wait, you threw him in the dungeon? And he still likes you?" Sango inquired rather confused as a large man entered the kitchen from the same door they had when they first arrived.

"Well, we are criminals. We're just less dangerous, I guess you can say," the man replied with a smile aimed in Kagome's direction.

"There you are Manten, I missed you earlier. We'll have to chat later though, we should be getting back out there," Kagome told him with a smile before turning and heading back the way she came. Once back out on the floor, Kagome began making her rounds again, this time though, her ears picked up something useful.

"Well, if that idiot had been able to do his job, we wouldn't be having to resort to the backup plan now would we, Mukotsu? Now go away, I cannot be seen with you," a man insisted before turning his back to a rather short man that was sitting in the corner next to him.

As Kagome watched them, Sango came up beside her and whispered, "That one's a guard isn't he?" Giving her a slight nod, Kagome glanced over to where Hiten was standing, his red eyes trained on her own chocolate ones. Apparently he understood that they had found what they were looking for as he rolled his eyes before calling over his shoulder for his brother. After whispering a few words to him, Manten nodded and headed back into the kitchen.

"We'll wait for backup, the short one gives me a bad feeling and who knows if any other nearby guards is in cahoots with these guys as well," Kagome whispered, making sure none of the drunk, or quickly getting there, men around them could hear.

"Back up?" Sango questioned as she glanced at Kagome confused.

"Manten just went for it. For now, we keep our eyes on these two. Back to work," Kagome told her with a smirk as she began making her way over to a guy who was yelling for more saké.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

AN: Since no one guessed 'Hard hearted' gonna go ahead and move on to the next one. Answer was Jaken. Next round: '**theatre basement' **Who am I? Now that I can stop laughing, on with the story.

The following takes place between 11am and 12pm...

11:00

'Idiot. Had that incompetent buffoon just done his job right, I wouldn't have to deal with the increase in guards. But no, Kyokotsu had to go and screw things up. And now I'm stuck cleaning up his mess,' a shadowed figured complained mentally as he watched yet another group of guards passing by on their rounds.

Waiting until the group had passed, the shadow checked to make sure no other patrols were heading his way before he turned his attention back to the guard a few feet away from him. Deciding that coming up behind him would be rather difficult is his current position considering his back was to a door, the shadowed man quickly searched the ground around his feet until his hand closed around a small rock.

Throwing it to the other side of where the guard was standing, he waited until the guard had turned his back to investigate before silently making his way over to him. Quickly breaking the guard's neck before he had a chance to make a sound and alert the others, the man pulled him back into the shadows and began relieving him of his armor.

A quick glance around assured him that no one had been alerted and he began making his way back over to the door to the armory. Glancing quickly over his shoulder, he opened the door and slipped inside to find the guard posted in the interior glancing up at him in question. "Lord Toga has decided to begin swapping guards during the shift. Something about keeping us on our toes. You're supposed to guard the door, he was pulled away elsewhere."

"That's odd. I haven't heard about this," the guard commented, speaking more to himself than to the man waiting to see how he reacted. The man watched as the guard finally nodded and began making his way out of the armory to guard the door. Soon as the door had shut, he began searching for the items he would be needing soon.

11:15

"Bankotsu, you and Suikotsu take those two down while I fill Inuyasha in," Kagome told them as she glanced up and spotted Inuyasha heading their way. Giving her a nod, they grabbed the two men and began dragging them off. Kagome watched as Inuyasha continued to make his way over and waited until he had stopped in front of her to began updating him.

"We detained two men that were speaking of the attacker by name. We found them in the Hebi Izakaya after deciding the best place to start looking was in the worst place," Kagome explained and he nodded in understanding.

"My father has already called for an increase in guards, but I think we should post more on whoever is most likely to be targeted next. I doubt this is over yet," Inuyasha told her.

"Most likely not," Kagome agreed. "Lord Toga has got to be their target. They have already gone after him once and failed, they will merely try again. And Inuyasha, posting more guards may not be the best idea. I take it you didn't recognize one of those men?" Kagome questioned as she gestured in the direction Bankotsu and Suikotsu had taken them.

"No, should I have?" Inuyasha wondered after shaking his head for a moment.

"He's one of the kingdom's guards. Of low rank, joined a few summers ago. If I remember right, he's normally stationed at the southern gate," Kagome explained and watched Inuyasha shake his head, a clear sign he had no idea who she was referring to. "Well, both Sango and I recognized him so he is most likely who we are thinking of. There is no way to be certain that other guards are not working with them.

"I think your best bet would be to post me and a couple of others around him in disguise so we can protect him, but anyone else who would wish to harm him would think that he was unguarded and make their move," Kagome suggested and after a moment Inuyasha nodded in agreement.

11:30

Down in the dungeon Bankotsu and Suikotsu glanced at each other before turning to look at the two prisoners they currently had tied up in chairs. In the course of getting them down there, they had to be knocked out to shut them up. "Get some water. I'll keep an eye on them," Bankotsu told Suikotsu without taking his attention off of the unconscious prisoners.

Giving him a quick nod, Suikotsu turned and began making his way back out of the cell,. Stepping to the side of the torture cell, Bankotsu glanced down to where he had left his tools and began contemplating which one he would use first and on which prisoner. Just as he reached down to pick up the one he had selected, Suikotsu walked back into the cell with two buckets.

Suikotsu placed one on the floor nearby and walked back to the prisoners. He dumped the bucket on the first one, causing him to start sputtering as the cold water forced him into the real world. Ignoring the grumbling from the soaked prisoner, Suikotsu reached back to grab the other bucket and quickly tossed it on the second man, receiving the same reaction.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Bankotsu questioned the two with a smirk as soon as he had gotten their attention by walking in front of them. Ignoring their death glares, Bankotsu began alternating pointing the knife at each of them. "You know, we were informed of who you were," Bankotsu told him as he locked eyes with the guard. "Who better to start with than a traitorous guard?"

In response, the guard spat at Bankotsu's feet before sneering at him. Bankotsu raised his eyebrows glancing down at where it landed before turning toward Suikotsu. "I think we might have a hard one to break here. This'll be fun," he told him with a smirk before turning it on the guard. "Real fun."

Leaning in real close to the guard's face, Bankotsu placed the tip of the blade against his cheek and dragged a shallow cut down to his chin, causing him to hiss in pain. "A hisser huh?" Bankotsu questioned as he glanced over his shoulder to Suikotsu. "I love when they hiss. The sound is almost as sweet as when they scream." Bankotsu told him with a chuckle and noticed the second man was shaking in his seat.

"Seems I'll have to save the fun stuff for later. This one looks like he's ready to talk, wouldn't you say Suikotsu?" Bankotsu inquired over his shoulder as he moved to stand in front of the short man. Not waiting for Suikotsu's answer, since he wasn't really expecting one, he continued. "You're Mukotsu right? Ah don't look so surprised, your accomplice Kyokotsu has already told us all about you. That you're a poison master. How you were hired through a letter, that wasn't signed, to kill Lord Toga.

"Even that you had a third person working with you." Pausing, Bankotsu glanced back over at the guard, who's blood was still running down his cheek. "Though he did not tell us it was one of our own guards. Seems I will have to have another conversation with him as soon as he can stop passing out from the pain." Smirking, Bankotsu turned back to the short man once again. "Now your job is to fill in the blanks. Tell us everyone Kyokotsu didn't."

For a moment Mukotsu continued to stare at Bankotsu without speaking and so he started to cut his cheek as well, but the moment the first drop was bled, Mukotsu began rattling off information. "I don't know who hired us either. Kyokotsu was the only one to receive a letter and he said our job was to kill Lord Toga and that there would be a guard on the inside that would help us. And that we would make more money than we could ever use. He," Mukotsu said, gesturing to the guard next to him, "told Kyokotsu that the perfect time to attack was after Sesshoumaru-sama had gone off with the hunting party.

"I don't know why I let Kyokotsu talk me into these things. Before I met him I was a simple poison master, selling my wares to the highest bidder and now look at the mess I am in. You guys could let me go right? I mean it's not like I attacked Lord Toga or anything. Why I'm practically just an innocent bystander. He's the traitor and Kyokotsu's the one that tried to kill Lord Toga, they should be here, but not me," Mukotsu insisted as he glanced from Bankotsu to Suikotsu.

"Innocent bystander? You think you're innocent? Suikotsu?" Bankotsu questioned as he glanced over his shoulder at him. After giving Bankotsu a slight nod, Suikotsu stepped in front of Mukotsu as Bankotsu moved out of the way.

"Plotting against Lord Toga, unlawful entry into the kingdom, fraternizing with the enemy while on Western soil, aiding and abiding, associating with a known and confirmed mercenary, accepting payment for a hired hit, and guilty by association," Suikotsu told him, informing him of the charges against him before stepping back so Bankotsu could retake his spot.

Seeing that wasn't getting him anywhere, Mukotsu decided to change tactics. "What if I told you there was a fourth with us? Would that change you minds about letting me go?"

11:40

Finishing loading the two arquebusses, the shadowed man hid them within a basket, that had been off to the side of the hut, and began making his way over toward the window in the back. Glancing outside, he smirked realizing the window led into a dark alleyway and the chances of him being spotted were slim. Pausing for a moment, he searched for a sign that anyone was going to come in and see him.

Hearing nothing of the sort, he climbed out, taking the basket with him. Moving through the shadows, careful not to draw any attention to himself, he made his way toward his destination. He smirked to himself in victory as he realized the increase in guards around the royal family members had finally made things easier on him. All of the guards that were normally stationed in the long hallway he was currently in, had apparently been posted elsewhere, leaving him free to move quickly rather than having to move slowly through the shadows.

Making his way into the room he knew his target would soon be in, he found himself the perfect hiding spot; a clear view of where the target would be, but hidden from the sight of the rest of the room. Getting into position, he placed the basket down just as the door opened, carrying in the sound of female voices.

11:45

"The Kami have blessed us this afternoon. Being called to serve not only our Lord Toga, but his two handsome sons as well," a servant with dark hair pulled back in a high pony tail said to her friends followed by giggled from each as they made their way into the dinning room with arms full of dishes.

"We are truly blessed. Perhaps one of the young lords will require assistance," a tall woman with black hair pulled up into a bun suggested after she had placed her dishes on the table and turned back to the other two to fan herself with her hand.

"If so, we should truly have the Kami's grace and I shall die a happy woman. But let us not get sidetracked. If the table is not set when they arrive, Lord Toga may become angry with us and I do believe I can hear their approach," the third woman informed the others as she flung her long, black hair over her shoulder and began setting the table. Giving nods of agreement, the others soon joined her. Not a moment after they were finished, the door was opened by a guard. Stepping out of the way, he bowed as Lord Toga and his sons walked past him before leaving, closing the door behind him.

Hearing the door slide back into place, Toga glanced around the dinning room. Seeing the three women bowed before him, their red and white kimonos billowing out around them, he gave them a slight nod before sitting on the cushion at the head of the table and gesturing for his sons to do the same. "Begin," he instructed once everyone was seated and the servants gracefully rose to their feet.

As the royal family waited, the three servants began pouring saké and placing food on the dishes before them It wasn't long before the three women took a step back and clasped their hands in front of themselves. Soon the only sounds were the soft clinking of the chopsticks and the mundane words exchanged between father and sons. They spoke of the weather, the hunt from that morning and the quality of the food they were eating. Soon the topic began to move toward the attack that morning and the increase of guards, but before too much could be said on that subject, a loud shot rang out, echoing off the walls around them.

In a graceful leap forward, Sango grabbed a thick, silver tray off of the table and held it up in front of Lord Toga a moment before a small pellet impacted with it. The loud crash thundered through the otherwise silent room as Kagura and Kagome tried to pinpoint where the shot had originated. Hearing the sounds of the attacker moving to regain line of sight, Kagura quickly turned toward him even as she drew her fan from her sleeve.

Opening it with a slight flick of her wrist, she pivoted slightly before taking aim and throwing it at the assailant. As it sailed through the air, it made the slightest of 'whooshing' sounds before reaching it's target and slicing clean through his neck. Nodding towards the girls to continue protecting the royal family, Kagome began making her way over to retrieve the gun and began a sweep of the room to make sure there were none other lurking in the shadows.

"Clear," Kagome assured the others as she picked up the other gun and began making her way back over to the body. "He's dressed as a guard, but I don't recognize him. If you want my opinion he probably stole the armor, but I could be wrong. Sango, have one of the guards outside send for Miroku and Hachi and tell them they have clean up," Kagome instructed as she turned to glance over her shoulder. After Sango had nodded and began heading toward the door, Kagome turned her attention to Inuyasha.

"They gave no indication that there was another accomplice, but now that this one is dead, they may be more inclined to talk. I'll have Bankotsu split them up and go at them one at a time. One of them has got to be a weak link."

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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AN: Since no one guessed 'theatre basement' going to keep it up for one more round. Roka means white crest of the wave. Kaemon means joyful, it is an old samurai name. Also I have a poll up on my profile for which story I kept Sesshoumaru most in character so if you have a moment and want to vote, visit my profile. The poll is a bit old, kept forgetting to mention it, so it doesn't have some of my newer stories. I may put another one up at a later date.

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

The following takes place between 12pm and 1pm...

12:00

"Just perfect," a guard mumbled to himself as he felt his horse begin to limp and slowed the animal so he could dismount. Once he had, he picked up a hind leg and, pulling a small knife from his waist, began digging out the rock that had lodged itself in its shoe. "There you are, girl," he told his companion after he had dropped the rock to the ground and released her leg.

Dusting himself off, the guard began to climb back onto the horse's back when he heard sounds of incoming horses and carriages. "The convoy," he breathed in relief as he petted the horse's mane and began heading toward them. "Now we can warn them of the attack and head to the West to inform Lord Toga," he explained as he tried to pick up speed, but the horse was having none of it and continued at a slow pace.

Rolling his eyes at the horse, the guard began searching in the direction the noises were coming from, to see if he could spot the convoy, and soon realized they were coming up below him. Guiding the horse to the edge of the hilltop, the guard went to call out to the convoy below, when voices reached his ears. "I am unsure how long it will take the West to learn of the attack, Ambassador. There were no survivors, so we may be lucky enough that they do not learn of the Ambassador's death until tonight or perhaps tomorrow," he heard one of the guards telling the Ambassador as his horse rode alongside the carriage.

"That can not be," the guard whispered to himself in disbelief as he continued to stare down at them without paying any real attention to the convoy. "I must have misunderstood, but if that is so, how do they know about the attack already? No, the wind must have carried the words incorrectly. They could not have known this soon and they would not have referred to them being lucky that Lord Toga would not find out for a while. This thinking would show the Ambassador as a traitor. I must be incorrect, it is the only option," the guard decided with a slight nod to himself as he opened his mouth to call out to the convoy below.

Before he was able to utter a single word, the Ambassador's voice was carried up to him on the wind as he responded to the guard. "Good, we must be within the Eastern walls before Lord Toga has learned of what has transpired. There is nothing to link me to the attack, but I shall take no chances. Within our kingdom we have sanctuary and our true leader shall see no harm befall us, but by chance he learns of my involvement in the death of his Ambassador, before I am safely within the kingdom, he could take action against me. Order the convoy to increase speed, I wish to be home as soon as possible."

The guard found it difficult to breath and simply shook his head in denial. "It is not possible but even as I say this, I know there is no other option. The Ambassador is a traitor and Lord Toga must learn of this at the earliest that it is possible. If all I heard is true, there is only a small window of opportunity for him to take action." the guard decided outloud to himself as he was turning his horse and began heading in the direction he had been going in the first place. This time when he tried to pick up speed, the horse allowed him and soon they were headed toward the west .

Down with the convoy, the guard spotted a few rocks falling from the hilltop above them. "Check it out. Catch up to us when you are finished," he instructed to one of his men, deciding he would not take any chances even though he was sure it was nothing but a wild animal.

12:15

Walking down the long hallway of the dungeon, Sesshoumaru could hear the sounds of torture and interrogation still going on ahead of him. As he passed the last two cells before the one used for torture, he spotted two of the three that had been detained earlier that morning. Deciding Bankotsu must have already been informed of Kagome's orders, he ignored the rather loud scream of pain and continued on to the last cell.

As he passed the threshold of the cell, Suikotsu glanced over from where he was standing in the corner of the room as Bankotsu continued to apply a burning red poker to the man's chest. "Good afternoon, Sesshoumaru-sama," Bankotsu called over his shoulder, barely audible over the man's screams. "What brings our young lord down to my neck of the woods this time?" Bankotsu inquired as he placed the cooled poker back into a bucket of hot coals to reheat before turning to bow toward Sesshoumaru.

"Your companion," Sesshoumaru explained with a slight nod toward the barely conscious man. With a smile, Bankotsu bowed slightly before moving out of the way and giving Sesshoumaru full access to the prisoner. Sesshoumaru paused for a moment to survey the damage already inflicted on him, before moving to stand in his line of sight. "You will answer my questions, or the pain you have seen will seem like nothing, am I understood?" Sesshoumaru questioned, once he made sure he had the man's attention.

A weak nod was all he was able to respond with and Sesshoumaru continued, "Who hired you?" The man began to shake his head, but Sesshoumaru interrupted him. "I hope you do not believe me stupid enough to accept that you would take a job before finding out the background of your employer. No self-respecting mercenary would do so. I am fully aware that you have not divulged all information that you can. I ask again, who hired you?"

Again he began to shake his head and Sesshoumaru turned to nod toward Bankotsu. Picking the, now hot, poker back up, Bankotsu turned and handed it to the waiting Sesshoumaru. "You two may go for your afternoon meal, have Jaken sent down to me," Sesshoumaru informed Bankotsu and Suikotsu. Turning back to the prisoner, Sesshoumaru stabbed the poker deep into his leg, the hot blade going through easily, and wrenching a long, piercing howl of pain from the man's throat. "Again, who hired you?"

12:25

"Come on, girl, we need to keep moving. The West must be informed of what has happened," the guard insisted to his horse as the animal begun to slow against his command. "I know you're tired, girl, as am I, but neither of us have a moment to rest. We can take a long, long nap once we inform Lord Toga of the Ambassador's treachery, but for now, time is not on our side." he pleaded with the animal.  
The horse neighed for a moment before picking up a little speed, though still much slower than the guard would have liked. But before he could once again urge the horse on, the horse's ears began to twitch to sounds he was unable to hear. "What is it, girl?" he questioned as he glanced around, but spotted nothing out of the ordinary. She neighed in response a moment before he was able to pick up the sounds of an incoming horse. Praying it was a messenger on the way from the East, the guard glanced over his shoulder.

In the distance he was barely able to make out the colors of the Ambassador on the rider's armor, his heart filling with dread as he realized the guard's eyes were trained on him and he had in fact been spotted. "We need to go now, girl," he insisted as he once again tried to get her to move faster, but for whatever reason had slowed her in the first place, it was still holding strong and she refused to pick up speed.

Deciding he was a sitting duck where he was, the guard stopped the horse completely and dismounted her before shooing her into some near by trees. "Do not wander far, girl, I shall have need of you soon enough," he told her in a hushed whisper, his eyes locked with those of the incoming guard. Once the guard was within range to hear him, he stood up tall and called out, "There are no need for words, for I already know you were sent to kill me. Face me as a man and not as a coward!"

Having said this, he withdrew the sword from his waist and watched as the other guard dismounted, once he was close enough, and withdrew his own sword. "My name is Roka. If by some chance you manage to kill me, you would do well remembering that name. For in the next life, you shall not be as lucky."

"My name is Kaemon, it does not matter if you remember it or not, for you shall not be lucky in either life," he insisted as he raised his sword in front of himself but a moment before he moved to attack Roka. Quickly moving on the defensive, Roka blocked the attack and moved in for one of his own.

12:40

"Kagome, bring everyone up to date," Inuyasha instructed after everyone had taken a seat in front of his desk for the briefing and had been given their next assignments. Giving him a slight nod, Kagome stood and placed herself in front of the others.

"I'll start from the beginning so everyone is caught up completely. The day's events, thus far, is this: Lord Toga was attacked early this morning and due to seeing something suspicious in the shadows I was able to prevent him from being harmed. Bankotsu was called to the dungeon when Inuyasha-sama was unable to get any information out of the assailant and we soon learned his name, Kyokotsu, and that of his accomplice, Mukotsu.

"After being assigned to the courtyard, I overheard merchants speaking of men they had picked up on the journey to the Kingdom and their rude behavior. I felt it needed looking into and so with Kagura and Kirara questioning the merchants, Sango and I headed to the underbelly of the kingdom in search of the men. Overhearing two men speak of the accomplice by name, we decided they were, in fact, the men we were looking for and stood guard while a friend of mine went for backup.

"At this time we noticed that one of the men was in fact a guard in the kingdom. Once Bankotsu and Suikotsu arrived and began escorting them to the dungeon, I informed Inuyasha-sama of this and we decided to lay a trap, believing that this would not be the end. We posted Sango, Kagura and myself as serving maids during the afternoon meal and soon dispatched of the attacker when he tried to shoot Lord Toga. He was dressed as a guard, but it is our belief that he had stolen the armor rather than worked here and have guards searching for an injured or dead guard who has been relieved of his armor.

"I have since been informed by Bankotsu that Mukotsu admitted to him about a forth but there was not time to inform us of this. Currently Bankotsu has split the three men up, seeing as the forth did not live through the attack, and is trying to find the weak link among them to hopefully discover more information," Kagome explained to everyone before turning to Inuyasha to bow. He gave her a slight nod before turning his attention back to the rest of the team.

"That is all for now. You have all been given your posts, report to them immediately," Inuyasha instructed and watched as they each rose to their feet, bowed and began making their way out of the room. The last one out as usual, Kagome turned to give him a quick smile before sliding the door closed behind her.

Closing his golden eyes, Inuyasha began to reflect back on the events Kagome had just been describing. He was painfully aware that had it not been for her, his father would very well be dead at that moment and his family was once again in her debt. So lost in thought, he did not hear his door slide open or his father entering the room until he began to speak. "Your team has done an amazing job today, you should be proud."

Opening his eyes, Inuyasha couldn't help but smile at his father. He knew that by his team getting praised, he in fact was as well. "And to think, you did not think it would be a good idea originally," Inuyasha reminded him with a half-hearted, arrogant smirk.

"This is true. As perfect as I may be, even I make mistakes," Toga replied with an arrogant tone of his own before turning and heading back out of the office. Inuyasha simply shook his head at his father's retreating back before turning his attention to paperwork that littered his desk.

12:55-1pm

"It would seem luck was with me today," Roka commented as Kaemon's lifeless body fell to the ground and he sheathed his sword. "You can come out, girl," he called out to the horse as he turned to glance at her with worn and tired eyes. After a little coaxing, she finally emerged from the trees and he was able to remount her. "Onward to the West," he instructed as he held onto her, the last of his energy depleting and he fought to keep his eyes open.

Soon the battle was lost and he succumbed to unconsciousness, falling forward to rest against the horse's mane. Undaunted by her passenger's current state, the horse picked up the pace slightly as she resumed heading toward her previous destination. Had Roka been conscious he would have complained about the current speed, but with him indisposed at the moment, the horse was able to go at her own pace without any complaints from her passenger.

And so the scenery passed them by slowly as they continued their trek toward the West. Neither Roka's previous insistence that time was not on their side nor the urgency of the information they had discovered, was able to coax the horse to move faster than she desired. Far to the west, Lord Toga remained unaware of what had transpired or that this bombshell would be dropped into his lap later that day.

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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AN: Gonna go ahead and end the 'Who am I?' game since I'm not getting any guesses lately. Might try again laters. :)

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

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The following takes place between 1pm and 2pm...

1:00

The afternoon sun beat down upon the convoy as the Ambassador and his wife hid in the shade within their carriage. Outside the guards spoke quietly to themselves of the journey thus far, while inside the conversation revolved around a certain girl who was left behind. "We shouldn't have left her there, if something were to go wrong, how long do you think it would take before she was in danger?"

"We tried to get her to come with us, if you remember correctly, she refused saying she wanted to stay there rather than make the trip with us. Had we pushed any harder they would have gotten suspicious since we had left her there every other year and our cause would have been endangered," the Ambassador explained to his wife, hiding his annoyed expression by turning to glance out the carriage window.

"Well, we should have done everything we could to make sure she came, suspicious or not. If Lord Toga learns what has happened and that we were behind it, our daughter is as good as dead. It would have been worth the risk to ensure her safety," his wife insisted, undaunted by him turning his back on her.

"She choose them over us by staying in the West. We can not endanger our mission for someone who has forgotten where her loyalties are supposed to lie, our daughter or not," he insisted, not taking his eyes off of the passing landscape. Behind him, he could hear his wife sigh and knew, by how forcefully she blew the air back out of her lungs, that this what not the end of the conversation.

"She only thought that this was a normal trip home, had we told her what was really going on, she would have come with us. Our daughter is loyal to us and the East. She simply did not know what was at stake," she assured him, fully believing her own words.

"Kagome is no more loyal to us than she is the East. She is too wrapped up in that emotionless moron that is set to be the next lord to see anything else going on around her. I had originally thought that having her in a position so close to power would work to our advantage when the time came to put our plan in motion, but instead her becoming his whore has done nothing but turn her against us.

"The West and the East must believe the other is behind the attack so they will go to war with each other, nothing else matters. Not even you if you forget where your loyalty lies," he warned his wife as he turned to glance at her with a dark look before returning his attention to the scenery outside the window.

"I have not now, nor will I ever, forget where my loyalty lies. I shall follow the true leader of the East to my death and beyond if I am needed to. I understand how important everything going according to plan is. I merely thought that since he is so wrapped up in our daughter, that if she was with us, Sesshoumaru might be too worried about her to do his job correctly, giving us and our cause, a better chance. And of course I am a mother, worrying about my child is part of my job," she explained as she laid her hand gently on his shoulder for a moment before removing it and turning to glance out of her own window.

1:10

"Now that Bankotsu and Suikotsu have been brought up to date, it's time to give out new assignments. Miroku, Hachi, and Jakotsu, you three are to make sure the men gave up no more information since Bankotsu left them and if there is nothing new, lock them into a normal holding cell. If there is anything new, bring me the information immediately.

"Bankotsu, Suikotsu, Sango, and Kirara you four will be on sentry duty. Pick a direction on the outer wall and stay there. Spot anything out of the norm and get Kagome's or Kagura's attention immediately and they can report it back to me or deal with it if needed. Do not under any circumstances trust any of the normal guards. I do not believe any more are working with them, but since we have yet to find the body of the guard we believe the last assailant stole the armor from and we have yet to prove that he in fact did not work here, we will take no chances. Any and all information you uncover is to remain in this group. I will personally take it to my brother or father if the need arises.

"Kagome and Kagura, you will be wandering around the courtyard keeping an eye out for anymore attacks and of course keeping an eye on the others in case they need you. I don't think I need to tell all of you this, but nonetheless, we cannot afford to let someone get as close as these guys have. We've been lucky so far that my father has not been injured, but luck only lasts so long. You see anything even slightly suspicious and you report it, understand?" Inuyasha inquired as he turned to glance at each of them in turn.

"I do want to let all of you know something though. Lord Toga was in here earlier and gave you all praise on how great of a job you all did today. I, as well as he, am very proud of you, but don't let that go to your head and slack in your duties for the rest of the day. You all have your next assignments, get to them," Inuyasha instructed, each of them clearly getting the dismissal and with a quick bow, they quickly filed out of his office.

1:20

The silence that had long settled within the big, gloomy hut was broken as a large man sighed and lifted the sheet covering his last patient, pulling it over his head. Glancing around, he couldn't help but feel sadden by the numerous sheet covered bodies the littered the floor around him. He knew the death toll could have been much worse, but the knowledge did nothing to ease the guilt of losing so many patients.

"See to it that all of the bodies are buried away from the kingdom and all of the linen is burned. Once done, have this hut cleansed so we can use it again," he called out to his assistants who quickly began scurrying around the hut to do as he bid. Sighing one last time, he turned and began making his way out of the hut, leaving the gloom and despair he felt in the hut behind him.

Entering a much smaller hut next to the one he had just exited, he glanced over to find his young assistant sitting behind his desk, still working on the scrolls she had been the last time he took a break. Glancing her over, he couldn't help but wonder yet again if she was really too young to be his full-time assistant, rather than having an easier job like Shippo and just studying under him.

Shaking his head to clear these thoughts, since she had already made it perfectly clear to him that she was happy where she was, he noticed she was looking over at him with a smile. Returning it, he gave her one more once over to make sure she had taken the time to change, since the last he saw her, her clothing was soiled from a patient. Seeing she was in fact wearing a clean, white kimono and her long blueish-white hair was brushed and pulled back with blue bows, he let himself relax and began heading toward his desk.

"Shiori, you can let our regular patients know that they can begin coming back in. And inform Shippo that his training can begin again," he told her as she removed herself from behind his desk and he retook the position.

"Of course, Jinenji-sensei," Shiori told him with a bow as she began making her way out of the small hut. As soon as she stepped outside, she could see the patients from the larger hut being carted off. Already knowing what was happening, she turned away and began making her way to where she was sure Shippo would be.

1:30

"Assuming you three can handle it from here, I shall go update Lord Toga and see what his orders are," Sesshoumaru told them as Miroku, Jakotsu, and Hachi arrived at the cell in time to watch Jaken finish cleaning off the tools he had been using. "They offered up nothing new," Sesshoumaru called over his shoulder after turning and making his way out of the cell.

Behind him, Jaken scurried to catch up and began trailing after him down the long hallway. Back in the cell, Miroku looked over the mess that had been left and shook his head. "Alright, we'll start with this one. You two grab his feet, I'll deal with his shoulders. Try not to touch his open wounds if at all possible, I'd rather not have him waking up and screaming in my ears," Miroku told them as he began unlocking the restraints from around his wrists as the other two worked at the ones on his ankles.

Seeing they had finished, Miroku placed his hands on the only part of the man's shoulders that he couldn't see blood seeping from and watched as they each grabbed a leg. "On three...one...two...three," Miroku counted out and they lifted the man's dead weight effortlessly off of the table and slowly began backing out of the cell with him.

Soon enough they had him in a holding cell and quickly began chaining him to the wall as he began to moan, a clear sign he would be waking soon. Just as the last shackle was in place, he fully awoke and began screaming at the top of his lungs, causing Hachi, who had been standing rather close to him while checking on the shackles, to jump back and hold onto his injured ears.

Rolling his eyes, Jakotsu pulled back his fist and quickly slugged the man, knocking him back unconscious much to the relief of the others in the room. "Time for round two," Miroku told them shaking his head as he began heading back out of the holding cell to get the next prisoner. Unlocking and opening the cell door, the found the man huddled in a corner shaking. Turning to his companions, Miroku raised an eyebrow at them but both merely shrugged their shoulders.

"Be good and Jakotsu won't have to knock you out like he did your friend," Miroku told him as they began making their way over to where he was seated. He seemed inclined to ignore them so they did the same and just lifted him off of the ground and began carrying him to where the first had been chained. They were able to get him restrained without any problems and began making their way back to the last accomplice.

Sitting off in a darkened corner they found the ex-guard glaring at them, with what could only be described as pure hatred blazing in his eyes. Turning to glance at the other two, Miroku realized they were each thinking what he was, he was planning on bolting. Giving them a slight nod, careful to make sure the prisoner could not see it, he motioned for Jakotsu to stay at the cell door. Turning back, Miroku and Hachi began making their way toward where he was sitting.

Sure enough, soon as they was in range, he jumped to his feet and plowed into Hachi knocking him on his ass and quickly moved to relieve him of one of his hidden knives. Before any of them had the chance to blink, he had the knife pressed up against Hachi's throat and glanced up to glare at Miroku. "Get back or I'll slit his throat," he warned, becoming annoyed when Miroku didn't budge an inch.

"You've got to know this isn't going to work. When we took this job we knew well enough that we could one day die in the line of duty and would do so willingly and with honor. Each one of us would sooner give our lives then allow a traitor to go free, especially knowing his target is our lord. You can kill him, but know this, you will not make it out of this cell alive or in one piece. One drop of his blood is spilled, and you will not have a drop remaining when we are done with you.

"And I somehow doubt anyone would hold it against us. If you want to make it to the holding cell without any further pain being inflicted upon you, I suggest you release him immediately," Miroku told him giving him his own warning as he fixed him with a dark glare of his own. The ex-guard paid no mind to Miroku's warning and pressed the blade deeper into Hachi's throat, causing a single drop of blood to begin making his way toward the collar of his kataginu.

In the next second, three things all happened at once. Hachi pulled out another of his hidden knifes, Jakotsu rushed up behind the prisoner with his sword drawn and Miroku relieved him of the stolen knife, each turning their blades to point them at his neck. Within a matter of seconds, the tides had turned on the prisoner and he was once more at their mercy. Instead of giving up, he once more jumped to his feet and tried to plow into Miroku.

This time, Jakotsu was ready for it, and knocked him over the head with the hilt of his sword, rendering him unconscious. As he fell to the ground on top of Miroku, Hachi retrieved his knife from him and put them both away. "Let's get him in the holding cell before he decides to come to," Miroku told them and pushed him up as Jakotsu grabbed onto his shoulders. Once he was high enough that Miroku could get out from under him, he and Hachi grabbed onto his legs and they began carrying him out of the cell.

Once they had him in the holding cell, they quickly shackled him in while Jakotsu held him against the wall just in case he came to before they were done. "Let's go get our next assignments," Miroku decided as they began making their way out of the holding cell. As he walked passed the ex-guard, Hachi gave him a quick kick to the knee before exiting the cell behind the others. Locking the door, they started down the long hallway.

1:50-2pm

"It is unlikely that they will divulged any more information than what little they already have. What are your orders on this matter?" Sesshoumaru inquired as the door behind him was slid open and he hear a guard enter the room. Paying him no mind, he waited for his father to answer.

"Have them executed with little to no delay. I want this matter over with as soon as possible," Toga informed him before turning to glance at the guard bowing behind Sesshoumaru. Seeing the colors of the East, he quickly waved a hand to dismiss his son wanting to hear news of the Ambassador's departure.

"Very well," Sesshoumaru replied and with a bow, turned and began heading out of the room. Seeing what his father had already taken notice of, he understood the reason for the quick dismissal and hurried from the room. Behind him the door was once again slid close, leaving the two remaining in the room to speak without being interrupted.

After receiving the nod to go ahead, the guard began to speak. "The convoy left this morning before the early rays of the sun had appeared. They left without delay or complications. Another guard shall be sent once the convoy leaves Eastern territory and enters the West," the guard informed him and after thanking him, Toga dismissed him and turned his attention back to the scrolls that littered his desk.

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

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The following takes place between 2pm and 3pm...

2:00

"Kikyou!" Kouga called out once he spotted his sister down the hall and began making his way toward her. Seeing him heading her way, Kikyou stopped and waved an elegant hand dismissing her maids and turned to face her brother with a smile. "About time, I've been looking for you all day," Kouga complained as he stopped in front of her.

"You have found me now, brother. What is it you wished to see me about?" Kikyou inquired as she gestured to a nearby bench and sat gracefully upon it. After a moment, Kouga followed her lead before sighing.

"It's the upcoming engagement. Father is allowing them to disgrace us by offering up his only daughter to marry the Western Lord's second son. All over some garbage about children of same rank being married. You may be the second child, but you are the only daughter. As such, if Father truly wishes to strengthen the alliance, he needs to engage you to the heir.

"How can he possibly hope to gain anything when he places you in a position of no power? This Inuyasha, will never be lord and seems to have very little sway with his older brother. How is the East to ensure our continued safety and comfort when nothing you may bring to the attention of your future husband will matter to the next lord?" Kouga complained as his sister merely smiled at him while shaking her head.

"Dear brother, you worry far too much. I assure you, everything will be fine. You can rest assured that things will be taken care of and the things you worry about will never happen," Kikyou assured her older brother as she placed her hand upon his shoulder in hopes of calming him down.

"What do you mean, Kikyou? How can you know what the future might hold or not?" Kouga demanded as he released another sign and laid his head upon his sister's shoulder. Instead of replying right away, Kikyou opted instead to run her fingers through his hair to try and get him to relax.

Once she felt the tension leave him she responded to his earlier questions. "Consider it woman's intuition. It is not something you need worry yourself with. Besides, I am sure you have other, more important things that you should be worrying about instead."

2:10

"You are to begin preparations for the executions immediately," Sesshoumaru instructed after a group of guards had entered his office and bowed before him. "It's time to tie up all of the loose ends of the day and I do not wish to deal with the prisoners any longer," he continued, paying more attention to the scrolls cluttering his desk than to the men in front of him.

"Make sure you set things up at the tree that's in the middle of the courtyard. I want to send the message that traitors and would-be assassins will be caught and dealt with in a timely manner. This execution will hopefully send that message to anyone else ignorant enough to think they could get by with attempting to take the life of Lord Toga.

"See to it that the preparations are completed within the hour. That is all, you as dismissed," Sesshoumaru told them with a quick wave of his hand before picking up the scroll he had placed upon his desk on their entry. He paid the guards little mind as the bowed once again before turning and leaving his office.

2:15

Miroku, Hachi and Jakotsu arrived at Inuyasha's office to find him conversing with a guard before sending him on his way. What they had been talking about was lost on the three, but they didn't pay that fact any mind. They knew it couldn't have been anything of major importance since he had been discussing it with a normal guard and he himself had said they weren't to be trusted.

"I take it the transferring of the prisoners went alright?" Inuyasha inquired as he glanced up at them after the guard had left his office. Receiving nods from the three in front of him, he continued, "Very well. Take some time to get cleaned up and grab something to eat. Once you are done, return to me for a full briefing, after which I will give you your next assignments. You are dismissed," Inuyasha told them with a nod and watched as the three bowed before exiting his office.

As they left, Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder about the spot of blood on Hachi's collar. He didn't have it when he was sent down to the dungeon, so it was not hard to conclude that whatever had caused it had happened while he was transferring the prisoners. But since Hachi didn't look really look injured and they had confirmed the transfer had gone alright, Inuyasha decided to let the matter drop for now. He would find out exactly what had happened during the debriefing anyway.

2:20

Sango sighed as she continued to glance out at the landscape beyond the kingdom's walls. It wasn't as if the landscape wasn't pretty to look at; in fact, its rolling green hills, ancient trees reaching toward the sky, and brightly blooming flowers were quite the sight. She simply found sentry duty to be rather boring. Any other day and she would at least be able to chat with nearby guards while watching over her post, but with Inuyasha telling them not to trust them and the events of the day, she didn't want to let him even think she was slacking in her duties.

Not that she ever did, she was quite capable of keeping her eyes peeled for anything out of the normal while having a conversation with someone else. 'Women were great multitaskers, men just never seemed to understand that,' Sango mentally mumbled to herself before spotting something in the distance. Silencing her mental ramblings, Sango leaned against the outer wall as she peered out into the distance, trying to discern exactly what it was that she was seeing.

Realizing it was what looked to be a guard on horseback, Sango decided to get someone else who would better know what to do. "Kagome, need you up here for a moment!" Sango called over her shoulder, not bothering to turn around to search out her friend and commanding officer, since she knew she would not be too far away and would be able to hear her.

Sure enough, a few moments later, she heard Kagome speak from right behind her. "What is it, Sango?" Kagome questioned as she glanced around but didn't see anything out of place. Instead of answering, Sango simply pointed off into the distance and Kagome glanced in the direction she was indicating.

By now the figure was closer and Kagome quickly spotted something Sango had apparently missed, the colors adorning his armor. Forgetting all about the girl standing next to her for a moment, Kagome began to bark out orders. "Open the gates! You and you," she began pointing toward two nearby guards, "be ready to bring him to Jinenji the moment he arrives. You and you," she continued, pointing at two new guards, "go out and retrieve him immediately. Now! Move your asses and don't make me tell you again!" Kagome bellowed to the men below and watched as they finally started scurrying around to do as they had been ordered.

"Sango, hold your post. Instruct the guards further if need be. I will inform Inuyasha-sama," Kagome told her as she quickly began making her way back down off of the wall, leaving Sango standing there still not completely sure what was going on. But if Kagome had ordered the opening of the gates, who was she to complain?

2:30

Out in the courtyard below, ignoring what was going on at the front gates seeing as they had jobs to do and it wouldn't bode well to allow themselves to be distracted from what Sesshoumaru-sama had told them to do, the guards continued to set up things for the upcoming execution. After a guard had finished tying the knots in the last rope, he handed it to the currently in charge guard. Making sure no one was close enough to get hit, the guard quickly swung the rope, throwing it over a sturdy tree branch.

Once that was done, the rope was tied off and he was handed another to repeat the process. Soon enough all three ropes were hanging from the branch and being tied off below. "Alright, bring out the horses!" he called out to his men and waited as they ran the short distance to where the horses were currently tied up and began leading them to the tree.

"Tie them to the temporary post. We wouldn't want them getting spooked and running away before it's time," he joked, trying to drown out the noise coming from the main gates. Around him, the other guards chuckled softly before continuing to go about the assignments given to them. "Perfect. You two, keep an eye on those horses. You two, see what the noise is all about at the front gates and if your assistance is needed. I will inform Sesshoumaru-sama that we are ready."

Having said this, and made sure his men nodded and began going about their new assignments, the guard turned and began making his way back toward Sesshoumaru's office. Behind him he could hear some woman continued to call out orders, but didn't pay her any mind. Seeing as he had an important assignment already, he knew she wasn't talking to him.

2:40

"Well, I'm glad that that was the worst damage done. Even if I didn't know if I could trust them or not, I'm glad I didn't send normal guards to head up the transfer. We'd probably be looking for an escaped prisoner now if I had," Inuyasha decided after they had finished the debriefing. "Now for your next assignments. Jakotsu, I want you to wander around the kingdom. Just keep an ear out for anything going down or out of place. I already have Kagome and Kagura keeping an eye on the courtyard so I want you to go in further.

"Check out the alleys, the taverns, heck, check the dungeons. See if you can't overhear or see someone else planning anything. We can't take any more chances today," Inuyasha insisted and gained a nod from Jakotsu before turning toward the others. "Miroku and Hachi, you two are going to be..." Inuyasha began only to be interrupted by Kagome banging open the door to his office and panting as she tried to catch her breath.

"Guard...gates..injured...horse..." Kagome managed to get out in between gasps for air. She may have been in great shape, but running full speed from one side of the kingdom to the other took a lot out of her.

"Slow down, Kagome, take deep breathes and try again," Inuyasha instructed as he stood and made his way to her to make sure she was okay. Kagome nodded slightly before taking a few deep, calming breathes to try and relax and be able to tell him exactly what she was trying to say.

"An injured guard just arrived on horseback. He's wearing the colors of the convoy from the East. Probably a messenger that was attacked on his way here, but figured you'd want to be informed. I left instructions for the guards to bring him to Jinenji before coming here," Kagome explained once her breathing was back under control.

"Alright, let's go. Miroku, go inform my brother of this. Hachi, inform my father. Tell them we will meet them down there," Inuyasha instructed as he and Kagome began heading back out of the room. Behind them, the three nodded and began heading toward their next assignments.

As Hachi left Inuyasha's office, he quickly made his way down the long halls until he reached Lord Toga's and knocked on the door. Once he was bid to enter, he stuck his head in, quickly bowed and began updating his lord. He didn't bother to wait until being told to speak since the information could possibly be too important. "A guard has arrived at the kingdom wearing the colors of the convoy. He is injured and Kagome has sent him to Jinenji. Inuyasha-sama has asked me to inform you of this immediately."

"Very well, you are dismissed," Toga informed him before turning his attention back to Myoga. "We will continue this at a later time," Toga told him, not waiting for his response or bow before standing and heading out of his office. As he passed the threshold, he realized he had no idea which convoy the guard had come from.

2:55-3pm

"Sesshoumaru-sama, the courtyard is ready for the execution. We merely await your order," the guard informed him after being given leave to enter his office and speak. Though he didn't let the guard see it, he was pleased that they had worked so quickly and that the events of the day could be over and done with soon.

"Very well. Put three guards per prisoner on escort duty," Sesshoumaru instructed, deciding to not take any chances of any of them escaping while being escorted to their hanging. The last thing that any of them needed at the moment was a manhunt. "I shall be down shortly..." Sesshoumaru began only to be interrupted when Miroku stuck his head in through the open doorway.

"I beg your pardon, Sesshoumaru-sama, but there is a problem that requires your immediate attention," Miroku informed him as he bowed. Giving the go-ahead to continue, Miroku did just that. "An injured guard has just arrived from one of the convoys. He is being seen to by Jinenji and Inuyasha-sama has tasked me with informing you of this."

Giving a slight nod to Miroku, Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to the guard. "I should be there shortly, however, if I am detained and unable to arrive there in a few minutes, continue without me," he instructed before standing and making his way out of the office, not bothering to wait for a response from the guard.

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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AN: I know I'm really late on this update and I apologize for that. I hadn't felt like writing in a while and was really busy with real life, but it seems that I've gotten over this hump so the next update should be much sooner. A few things to point out/explain: _Sal ammoniac_ is the scientific name for smelling salts. Torikkusuta means trickster, it's Shippo's last name.

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

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The following takes place between 3pm and 4pm...

3:00

Jinenji ignored the ever growing noise behind him as he skillfully wrapped the guard's wounds in white gauze, making sure to wrap tightly enough that it would stop the bleeding, but careful to not put the unconscious man in anymore pain. After a few minutes he could hear Shiori ushering out the noisy guards, making room for their lord and his sons, who would be there soon.

"Shiori can you remove this soiled clothes for me?" Jinenji inquired over his shoulder, nodding toward the pile of blood stained clothing at his feet, as he heard her make her way back to him after escorting out the guards.

"Yes, Jinenji sensei," she replied as she quickly made her way over to him and quickly gathered up the soiled garments and began heading over to the large hearth in the back room where they burn used bandages, linen and clothing from the patients. Tossing them in on top of the ashes from the sheets they had burned earlier that morning, Shiori quickly lit them on fire and began heading back out to the main room.

Spotting Lord Toga and his youngest son, Inuyasha, Shiori quickly made her way over and bowed to them. Receiving a slight nod from the lord, Shiori told them, "Jinenji sensei is waiting for you over here, my lords," before bowing and leading them to where the doctor was finishing up with the wounds.

"Any idea what happened to him Jinenji?" Inuyasha inquired, breaking the silence that had settled over the room, once Jinenji had turned his full attention to them.

"Best guess, I would say a sword fight. A brutal one at that. The majority of his body is covered in bruises, cuts, lacerations and even has a boot-shaped bruise on his stomach. Who ever his opponent was sure did a number on him, though I guess I can say the same for him," Jinenji commented with a slight chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Kagome questioned from behind Inuyasha.

"Not all these wounds are caused by defensive moves or actions, quite a few are in fact, such as these scrapes across his knuckles, are offensive wounds. Plus there was a lot of blood on his clothing that did not line up with any injuries on his person. In fact, my best guess is that he won the fight, most of the blood did not seem to be his and I can not imagine anyone living after losing that much blood," Jinenji explained.

"Is there anyway to wake him up?" Lord Toga wondered after a few moments.

"Yes, but I will warn you my lord, he will not stay conscious long as he will be in a great deal of pain. I do not risk trying to bring him around again, so make sure you get asked what you need to this time. I do not know how long it will be until he is able to wake up on his own. Shiori bring me the _sal ammoniac,_" Jinenji called over his shoulder as he turned back to his patient.

The others looked on as the young girl walked over and handed Jinenji what he has asked for and watched as he held it under the guard's nose. After a moment, they could hear a quick inhale as he jerked awake before wailing in pain and began thrashing around on the futon. As Jinenji and Shiori moved to hold him down, so he wouldn't further injure himself, Lord Toga moved into his line of sight. "Tell me what has happened," Toga instructed, ignoring Sesshoumaru as he entered the room behind them.

"Lord Toga?" the guard mumbled as he glanced around with half closed eyes before he was finally able to make out the form of Toga. "The convoy...attacked. All are dead. The Ambassador was..." he began before his eyes closed and his head rolled to the side.

Jinenji was quick to check for his pulse before turning back to Lord Toga. "I'm afraid he's unconscious again. The best I can do is inform you if he wakes again and says anything more," Jinenji told him as he began to check on the bandages to make sure blood hadn't soaked through during his struggling.

3:15

A large crowd began to gather in the courtyard as the guards lead the prisoners to the tree they would soon be hanging from. Each one surrounded by four guards, shackles bound their hands and feet and the peasants spit at them as they passed. Each commoner had arrived not knowing who was going to be executed or why, only that there would be one. They simply gathered for the entertainment.

Commoners and guards alike waited in anticipation as the prisoners were mounted upon the horses and the coarse, thick rope was placed around their necks. The guard in charge raised his hand in preparation of giving the signal, when a shout came from behind him. Turning, with his arm still raised, he found the Lord's youngest son running toward him.

"Inuyasha-sama," the guard greeted with a bow, "How may I assist you, my lord?"

"Hold the execution, I must ask the prisoners more questions," Inuyasha informed him as he walked over to the horses. "Pull your men back a bit and get those people back," Inuyasha instructed over his shoulder as he took the reins from the guard and waited until everyone was far enough back that they wouldn't hear his questions.

"Who was behind the attack on the Ambassador's convoy?" Inuyasha demanded earning confused expressions from the three prisoners. "Don't give me those 'I don't know' looks. An assassination attempt on Lord Toga and the Ambassador's convoy being attacked on the same day, probably around the same time, is not a coincidence. So I ask again, who was behind the attack? You're gonna die either way, there's no point in protecting them seeing as they can't protect you," Inuyasha insisted.

"We don't know of any convoy attack. We've already told you all we know. We were just hired to kill Lord Toga, if those that hired us planned a second attack at the same time, or if someone else was behind the attack, we have no way to know. Think about it, why would they tell us of a second attack, if it was whoever hired us, when we would very well give them up and possibly prevent the attack in doing so," the ex-guard replied, looking down his nose at Inuyasha with a sneer.

3:20

"Lord Toga, may I speak to you for a moment?" Kagome questioned, after everyone but her and Toga had left the guard's side. Turning his attention away from the unconscious man, Toga glanced up and nodded toward her as Kagome bowed before him. "By chance, has there been any word on my parents?"

"No, but take it as a good thing Kagome. Your parents' convoy was much closer than the one from the East, had anything happened to them, we would have heard about it long before he managed to arrive here. Most likely the East's convoy was attacked by bandits, and your parents would have been no where near them.

"I assure you, the Ambassador and your mother are perfectly fine. I realize, that with learning one of our own guards were working with the assailants today, you might be worried about the same happening within the convoy, but the Ambassador hand picked each guard that went with him. If he can place his trust in them, so can you.

"However, once he is finished with the prisoners, I will be having Inuyasha send out a party to warn them of what happened. When they return, they can confirm your parents safety." Toga toward her with a reassuring smile before turning his attention back to Jinenji who was walking back over with more bandages. "I shall return to my office for now, inform me the moment he wakes up," Toga instructed before heading back out of the hut.

"Jinenji sensei, has anyone informed Shippo of what has happened?" Kagome inquired after a moment as she glanced from the patient to Jinenji.

"I have not had the opportunity to do so yet. I will be doing so once my patient is resting a bit more comfortable," Jinenji explained without looking up from his patient. Kagome glanced over her right shoulder as her ears picked up the scurrying of little feet.

"It would seem you do not need to inform Shippo. I'll go talk to him," Kagome told him as she turned and began heading out of the room without waiting for a response. Behind her, she could barely make out his soft 'of my' as she made her way out of the hut, heading the way she heard Shippo head in. As she walked out into the late afternoon sun, she glanced around the nearby courtyard and quickly spotted the little boy huddled in a corner.

"Come here Shippo," she called out as she knelt down to his height and held her arms out to him. It wasn't long before he had rushed into her arms and was crying into her shoulder. "Hush now little one, I've got you," Kagome whispered as she rub circles on his back and held onto him until his crying became more of a whimper, interrupted occasionally by a hiccup.

"They killed my parents Kagome. Why would anyone do something like that? They never did anything wrong. They were good people," Shippo insisted as the tears began anew and his small frame shook against her body.

"I don't know Shippo. I don't know why anyone would do something like this. Your parents were amazing people, never forget how much they loved you. Hold onto the memories you made together with them and they will never truly be gone from your life," Kagome promised as she blinked away a few of her own tears and her hold on Shippo tightened slightly.

"Will you stop the people who killed my parents, Kagome? Will you stop them from hurting anymore innocent people? Will you make them pay for me?" Shippo inquired, his face still buried in her shoulder, muffling his words slightly.

"I swear I will bring those responsible to justice no matter what, Shippo. I will not rest until they are hung for their crimes against the West and against you, Shippo. You have my word of honor," Kagome swore as she pulled Shippo's light body back slightly to look into his eyes as she uttered her oath. After receiving a slight nod from him, she pulled him back against her and held onto him as she continued to kneel in the courtyard.

3:30

"Fine we'll do this the hard way again," Inuyasha decided after the prisoners kept insisting that they had nothing to do with the attack on the convoy. "Guards, return them to the dungeon. The execution will be stayed for a little while. Same conditions as before. Take no chances, if they try anything, do not hesitate to knock them unconscious," Inuyasha instructed as he handed the reins back over to the guard and they began to dismount the prisoners.

Inuyasha watched as each of the prisoners were surrounded by four guards once their feet touched the ground and they began leading them back to the dungeon. Once they were out of sight, the lead guard turned to Inuyasha in question. "What would you like us to do about the execution sight, my lord?"

"Leave it as it. Leave a guard or two here to tend to the horses, but the stay won't last long so there's no point in taking everything down for now. Also leave a few here to tend to the crowd in case they get out of hand. After that, head down to the dungeon to check on the transport and make sure each prisoner is chained to the wall correctly.

"Once done, leave two guards per cell to watch them and keep an eye on them. Send the rest for a short break but let them know they will be needed again soon. I'll leave it to you," Inuyasha told him as he turned and began walking away. Behind him, he could hear the guard calling out orders to the remaining guards.

3:35

Kagome glanced down at the small bundle hanging onto her and caught his slow, even breathing. Shaking her head slightly at the sleeping child, she stood erect, ignoring the protest from her sore legs and back, and cradled Shippo to her chest as she began making her way toward the residential area.

Shooting a quick glare to anyone she passed who was speaking above a whisper, quickly silencing them so they didn't wake Shippo, she began navigating around huts and commoners until she found the one she was searching for. Sliding open the door with her foot, she let herself into the dimly light foray and began searching the name plates on the doors until she found the one she was looking for.

A small smile crept across her face as she realized Shippo's room was the one she used to use as a child. Opening the door, again with her foot, she walked into the small room to find that other than the belongings, not much had changed since the last time she had used it. 'How many summers ago was that? Before the team for sure, but how long before that?' Kagome questioned silently as she made her way over to the futon and placed Shippo upon it before covering him up with a nearby blanket.

Spotting a small, cloth toy, she remembered Shippo excitingly telling her his parents had brought with them for him on their last trip home, she placed it under his small arm and sat down next to the futon. Running her fingers through his hair, she glanced around the room, recalling old memories from her childhood. 'It's funny, this hut started out as a place for the children of Ambassadors and visiting diplomats when their parents were too busy with important work to keep a good eye on them.

'Now the team uses it for their siblings as well. Kohaku, Kanna and even Shiori live here as well. Rin too. This place is normally so full of life, that I can hear the laughter from here while on sentry duty. When I was a child, the Ambassador was still unmarried and so I was the only one who stayed here. Unless, of course, you count all the nights Inuyasha sneaked over here.

'I can only pray that it is not long before the laughter is once again brought to this place. No one should have the gloomy childhood that I experience here before meeting Inuyasha. I must have been around ten summers when I first met him. He would have been, what, five summers or so? He had been too young to attend royal events, so the first time I met him was when he sneaked into my room to avoid his nurse maid.

'He had not wanted to be given a bath and decided to hide in a random room. I awoke to find him hushing me from his spot next to me on my futon. We stayed up talking long into the night before falling sleep. After that, every few days, he would sneak out after being put to bed to come to my room. He always returned to his courters to sleep, at least until one night about a summer or so after we met.

'It was just like any other night, we stayed up talking and playing with the toys in my room late into the night. But we ended up falling asleep before he was able to go back to his room. Apparently his nurse maid chose that night to check on him and sometime during the night found him missing. Fearing the worst, she alerted Lord Toga and he had the kingdom torn apart looking for him. Dawn arrived without any luck, and for some unknown reason, someone suggested checking on me.

'I guess they were afraid I might have been abducted as well. Though we slept through it, I was told later that Lord Toga and his guards entered my room to find us sleeping. After that day, whenever Inuyasha went missing, my room was always the first placed searched. Soon enough, Lord Toga decided to move me closer to the royal courters so they wouldn't have to search very far to find him anymore.

'And I've been there ever since.' Giving the still sleeping Shippo a soft smile, Kagome stood and turned toward the open doorway only to stop when she noticed they had company. Four small heads peered into the room, causing Kagome to smile. Placing her index finger gently against her lips, whispering a soft 'shh', Kagome sent them a reassuring smile before walking past them and out of the room.

3:45

"Alright, Bankotsu you'll be heading back to the dungeon. I don't want to stay the execution for too long so get any information out of them about the attack on the convoy as soon as possible. Start all out, they already know what's coming so they are less likely to hold out for very long this time. If they had anything to do with it, or any prior knowledge, they will be quick to tell you.

"Suikotsu and Kagura, you two I want to gather a group of ten guards and be prepared to depart soon. We must have confirmation that the other convoy is safe for not only Kagome's assurance, but the West and East's as well. Lord Toga should be sending a messenger to the East soon to let them know of the attack, and he's gonna be wanting to send one to let them know the other convoy is safe as well.

"Take with you low class guards, those who would have been in no position of power within the kingdom. They are the lease likely to have been plants or traitors as they would have little to no access to anything or anyone important. Sango, Miroku and Hachi I want you three to head to the stables and help the hands get their horses ready to depart. Time is not on our side today, so let's make sure speed is. You have your orders, dismissed," Inuyasha instructed and watched as they each bowed and filed out of the room quickly until only he and Sango remained.

"You do have any idea what Kagome is up to at the moment? I haven't seen her since she ordered the gates open to let the guard in. With everything going on, I'm a little worried about her. I mean her parents are out there somewhere and we have no way as of yet to know if they are truly safe," Sango insisted as she walked up to Inuyasha's desk.

"Kagome's fine. I've been informed by Shiori that she was talking to Shippo. Apparently he overheard her and Jinenji's conversation about his parents. Her mind will be too focused on him to worry about anything else at the moment. But I will keep an eye on her, at least until we hear back from Suikotsu and Kagura. Don't worry about her for now, head to your next assignment," Inuyasha instructed and watched as Sango bowed and headed out of the room.

3:50-4pm

'Lord Menomaru,

I regret to inform you that there has been an attack on Ambassador Torikkusuta's convoy, all save for one guard have passed into the next life. He is currently in critical condition and the doctor is not optimistic. We shall be sending a guard detail to check on Ambassador Higurashi's convoy, but I am confident that they remain unharmed.

Torikkusuta's convoy was no where near Higurashi's and there is no reason to believe the attack was anything more than done by a group of bandits at the moment, but rest assured we are looking into it. I am unaware if you have heard word yet, but there was attempts on my life this morning. And though they have failed and those responsible, though not who hired them, have been apprehended, these attacks and that of the convoy coincide to closely for me to truly believe they are not linked.

I shall send you further word once we hear back from the party heading out to check on Ambassador Higurashi. I wish I had more to tell you at this moment, but I am afraid you now know all that I do on this matter. Be well.

Lord Toga.'

Toga paused for a moment to read over the scroll before beginning to blow the ink dry once he was satisfied with it. Once dry, he rolled it, tied it with a ribbon and placed his wax seal upon it. As he was blowing that dry, a knock sounded at his door. "Enter," he called out without looking up from the scroll, already knowing who it was as he had just sent a guard for him. "This is to be delivered directly into Lord Menomaru's hands, no one else's. Take the fastest horse you can find and get this to him post haste.

"Stop for nothing, for no one. Understood?" Toga questioned as he glanced up and head the scroll out for the messenger to take. He nodded quickly before placing the scroll within his haori and bowing before Toga. Receiving a wave of dismissal, he turned and quickly made his way back out of the office.

It wasn't more than a few minutes before he was saddled up and heading toward the gate. Seeing the patch of Lord Toga's messenger upon his breast, the guards quickly moved to open the large gates and allow him to exit. Once he was riding off toward the East, the guards re-shut the gates and secured them.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

The following takes place between 4pm and 5pm...

4:00

"You know, if I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure we've done this dance before," Bankotsu said with a laugh as he glanced at the three men that were shackled to chairs in front of him. "Well since you already know how this is going to go, why don't we skip the torture part and you just start talking," he suggested as he ignored the other two and gave Mukotsu his full attention, knowing he would be most likely to talk.

"I've already told you everything I know. We were only hired to attack Lord Toga, I know nothing about an attack on a convoy," Mukotsu insisted as his gaze turned from Bankotsu to his torture pack that was sitting off to the side. Already knowing what was in it and what the tools could do, his eyes became fearful as he turned his attention back to Bankotsu.

"I believe you. It's a shame though," Bankotsu started as he walked over and began rummaging through his pack until he found the tool he was looking for. "A shame that I can't just take your word for it," he continued as he turned back to Mukotsu and began twirling the dagger in his hands. "Well a shame for you, it matter not either way to me.

"We'll have to skip the formalities though. I'm sure you understand, we're short on time after all," Bankotsu commented but a moment before stabbing the dagger deep into Mukotsu's thigh, wrenching a long, piercing howl from his lips. Forcefully pulling the dagger back out, caused blood to gush up from the wound, covering Mukotsu's leg and Bankotsu's hands in the warm, sticky liquid.

"Feel free to interrupt me at any time," Bankotsu told them as he glanced at the other two prisoners while at the same time, trusting the dagger into Mukotsu's other thigh and dragging the blade toward himself. Another howl of pain was ripped from his lips causing the other two prisoners to flinch at the sound. Heading over to where he left his pack, Bankotsu cleaned off the blade before grabbing another of his tools. Walking back over to Mukotsu, he watched as their eyes slowly made their way to his hand to see what tool he was holding.

Forcing himself not to smile when he saw their confused expressions, he held the tool up for them to inspect in more detail. It was a small, wooden rectangle with finger sized holes on each end, a thin blade in the middle and a small opening below the blade. It only took them a few moments to begin imagining what it could possibly be for and as each second passed, each possibility ran through their minds, their eyes became even more fearful.

"You brought this on yourself, you know. Even if you know nothing about the attack on the convoy, you should have never messed with the West. I would say to use these experience to learn from your mistakes," Bankotsu began as he walked back to stand in front of Mukotsu again and reached down to grab his right hand, "but we all know you're not going to live long enough to learn anything. But you never know," Bankotsu paused as he pulled Mukotsu's index finger through the device, before glancing up to look into his bloodshot, tear stained eyes, "maybe this lesson will help you in your next life."

Giving him an evil grin, Bankotsu squeezed the sides of the device together, severing his finger and causing him to let off a blood curdling scream that had the other two looking sick. Letting go of what was left of his finger, Bankotsu moved onto the ex-guard as his grin grew larger and the man began struggling as he tried to get away from what he knew was coming. Paying his struggles no mind, he pulled his index finger up as much as it would go with his arms being tied down, and placed it within the device.

4:10

"Open the gates!" Suikotsu called out after he, Kagura and the ten guards ordered to go with them had mounted up and made their way to the large gates. The guards stationed their gave them a strange look, seemingly about to deny his demand, when Kagura gave them a withering glare. Deciding against arguing with them, the guards quickly moved to begin opening the gate before rushing to get out of the way of the incoming horses.

Sending a sneer over her shoulder at the guards, Kagura hurried to fall in sync with Suikotsu's pace as they made their way out of the kingdom and began heading East. The thundering of four dozen hooves drowned out the sounds of the guards complaints from Kagura's ears, that and the time restraint she was under, was the only things that saved their hides from a well deserved lashing.

"You'd think with as long as we've been serving under Inuyasha-sama's command, that the idiot guards that are posted at the gate would have learned to listen to our order to open them. Even Kagome is still having problems with them though. I'd like to learn who it is that trains them so I can smack them upside the head for doing a horrible job at it," Kagura complained to Suikotsu as he picked up the pace of his horse and she followed his lead.

"I do believe that is done by Sesshoumaru-sama's advisor Jaken, or at the very least he oversees it. Do inform me when you plan to smack him, as I would hate to miss that," Suikotsu told her with a laugh as he glanced over at Kagura.

"Will do," Kagura promised with a chuckle of her own before turning her attention to the landscape surrounding her. "How long do you think it's going to take to catch up to the convoy?" she inquired of Suikotsu after a few moments of studying her surroundings.

"Well they do have a good deal of hours ahead of us, but thankfully horses travel a lot faster than a convoy. I'd say within a few, perhaps three or four, hours at most and we should have caught up to them. What do you say we pick up the speed and lower the time a bit more?" Suikotsu questioned as he glanced back over at Kagura, and after receiving her nod of agreement, urged his horse to go faster.

4:15

No longer preoccupied with dealing with Shippo's grieving, Kagome's thoughts turned toward her own parents and their questioned safety. She knew Lord Toga's words of assurance, that her parents were alright or they would have heard about them already, were most likely correct, but that didn't stop her from thinking that if they were hurt, it was her fault. They had wanted her to go with them this year, since it had been many years since she had last visited the rest of her family in the East, but she had declined.

She had been needed here and truthfully she hadn't wanted to spend that much time away from Sesshoumaru. Looking back on the events of the day so far, it was a good thing she hadn't gone with them, Lord Toga would be dead if she had, but that didn't lessen her guilt any. Now all she could do was wait until she heard word of their safety. It was going to be a long wait, Kagome knew.

Thinking back to the night before, Kagome couldn't help but feel even more guilty. The last words spoken to her parents were in anger. They had accused her of caring more about Sesshoumaru than about them. She tried to explain that it wasn't just about him, that she had her job to do here and she couldn't take off during such an important time. Her words did little more than add fuel to the argument causing her mother to demand to know who was more important, her family or the West.

Kagome had answered instantly with the West, as she had sworn an oath years ago to protect it and its people. She told her mother that she could go back to the East for a visit once everything had settled back down, both Ambassadors back at their respected posts. Her mother had replied that if her family back home was of so little importance to her, that she shouldn't bother to go visit them at all before storming away from her in anger.

Not about to let her mother have the last word, Kagome called after her that this was her home and it had always been. It was the last time she saw her parents as she did not see them off this morning, still slightly peeved at them and already needing to be up early to meet with Inuyasha and the others, she didn't feel like getting up even earlier to say goodbye. And now she was kicking herself in the ass for allowing her parents to leave while they were in a fight.

Angry with them or not, she should have seen them off just as she did every other year. Instead she was dreading every moment, not knowing which would bring her the bad news, not knowing if it would even be bad news. Every moment an eternity. Every moment a bête noire. And still all she could do was wait.

4:25

Toga looked up from his desk as his oldest son walked into his office with a slight bow of his head. "Have a seat, Inuyasha should be here momentarily," Toga informed him before turning his attention back to the scroll he had been working on. Sesshoumaru fought the urge to roll his golden eyes at having to wait for his brother yet again, and seated himself in front of his father's desk.

Thankfully they didn't have to wait long, as not a few moments after Sesshoumaru had gotten comfortable, the shoji door was once again opened and the Lord's youngest son entered the room. "Sorry got held up. Gotta make this fast though, need to hand out updated assignments to my team soon," Inuyasha told them as he gave them each a slight bow and took the cushion next to his brother.

"Alright, Inuyasha, bring us up to speed on the days events thus far, in case there is anything we have missed in passing," Toga instructed as he placed the scroll off to the side and turned his attention to his youngest son.

"Earlier this morning Kagome noticed something out of place and followed up on it. Turns out it was a would be assassin and she was able to stop him before he took your life," Inuyasha began as he nodded toward his father, "After being taken to the dungeon, Bankotsu was able to get his name, Kyōkotsu, as well as his accomplice's, Mukotsu. About this time, Kagome was posted in the courtyard and overheard a few merchants speaking of men they had picked up on the trip here.

"Deciding it bared looking into, Kagome and Sango headed undercover to a tavern by the name of Hebi Izakaya, Kagome believing the best place to look for them would be in the kingdom's worst place. There they found two men speaking of Kyōkotsu, recognizing one of them as one of our own guards. Once they were taken into custody, we learned there might have been a fourth assailant and so Kagome, Kagura and Sango were posted undercover as serving maids during lunch.

"As I'm sure you remember, they were able to stop the attack and the assailant was killed. We were able to get out of the three in the dungeon that they were hired to kill Lord Toga, but do not know who hired them. Their execution was scheduled and they were about to be killed when we learned of the attack on the convoy and I stayed it to have Bankotsu re-question them about the attack. So far they are claiming to not know about the convoy, and most likely it is the truth.

"They could have easily been hired as a diversion while the real attack was on the convoy. I do not understand why they would attack here rather than the East, if that is the case, but this seems to be the likely scenario. A little earlier this hour, Suikotsu and Kagura, along with about ten guards, left the kingdom to check on the other convoy and make sure they weren't attacked as well," Inuyasha finished before falling silent.

"What do you suggest our next move is, Inuyasha?" Toga questioned after thinking over the information he had been given. Most of it he had already known, but there was still a bit of it that was new to him.

"Well whether the attacks here were just a decoy or if you are the real target and the two are not connected, it is unlikely that this is the end of it. Whoever is behind it has probably learned, or will soon, that their plan failed and will probably attack again. Our best bet would be to post more guards around the royal family, ones were are sure to be loyal. I will be posting members of my team back on royal guard duty and I think Sesshoumaru should pick from the kingdom's guards as well.

"Today there is no such thing as too much protection, no matter how annoying having that many people in an office can be," Inuyasha insisted as he sent a pointed look toward his brother before turning his attention back to his father. "Also since my team is already divided, and will be even more so now, I suggest placing more guards around the kingdom as well. Call in off duty if need be."

"Very well, I shall place an extra two guards at each office door, instructed to stop anyone from entering without permission, so make sure you inform them of your advisors or team members that will be entering during the day. Also I will place three in each office. With four stationed at the outer door and three within, five if you count your team members, each office, it should detour any attacks. But I also recommend the closing of all window shutters.

"I will call in any off duty guards and post them around the kingdom. The guards should be at your offices soon after this meeting is concluded," Sesshoumaru informed them as he began going through guards in his head to decide which he knew to be most loyal and would be posted in the offices.

"Very well, that is all for now than. I leave you to your work," Toga told them and watched as his sons stood, bowed and began making their way out of his office. Once the door was closed behind them, he went back to looking over the scroll he had set aside earlier.

4:35

Glancing in through the open office door, Bankotsu couldn't help but notice Inuyasha's absence. Shrugging, deciding he would most likely be returning soon, Bankotsu entered the room and sat in front of his desk to wait. Glancing around the room, for lack of anything better to do, he spotted the numerous awards and medals that lined the walls. He had noticed them before in passing, but since they all stemmed from before his time with the group, he hadn't really paid them any mind.

Deciding they would be a good way to pass the time, Bankotsu stood back up and began making his way over to them. It only took him a few moments to notice a pattern with the medals, most named Kagome. "Exemplary service, above and beyond the call of duty, protecting others at risk to own health," Bankotsu whispered out loud as he read each of them. Though these were all awards in Inuyasha's name, for having trained the person who earned them, he wouldn't be surprised if Kagome had her own copy of each one.

Bankotsu couldn't help but smile at the memory of when he first joined the group. Hearing the second in command had been a woman had not sat well with him. It was bad enough having woman in the group at all, but having to listen to and take orders from one? It was almost enough to make Bankotsu change his mind about joining the group, but he soon learned just what kind of a woman Kagome really was and quickly respected her.

Now seeing all the medals in her honor, he felt like a fool for ever having doubted the woman. She was by far the most decorated member of the group, beating him, who was second, by a mile. Anyone who could have accumulated that many medals in so few years, man or woman, was alright in his book.

A noise from behind him caught his attention and he glanced over his shoulder to find Inuyasha entering the office. "That's not even half of them," Inuyasha commented with a nod toward the wall causing Bankotsu to look back over at it. "Most of the medals she received, I didn't get one as 'trainer'. I don't even know how many she has, but it's a lot more than that. Any luck with the prisoners?"

"No I was unable to get any information out of them before they passed out. I doubt I will get anything no matter how much time I spend with them. It is unlikely they were part of the attack on the convoy or had any prior knowledge of it," Bankotsu informed him as he turned and faced Inuyasha fully.

"Alright, the others should be here in a moment for updated posts," Inuyasha told him as he sat down behind his desk. Before Bankotsu was able to answer, the other members of the group started making their way into the room. "Take a seat everyone," Inuyasha instructed and waited for them to do so before continuing, "We are going to be increasing the guards on royal guard duty as well as this group. We're a bit short of people at the moment so it's going to be two per family member.

"Kagome and Sango you will be guarding Sesshoumaru, Bankotsu and Miroku will be on my father and Hachi and Kirara will be with me. There's going to be two extra guards outside at the door, for a total of four, and three within. Including you all there will be nine guards at each office. The guards posted outside will be informed to not let anyone enter unless they have been told to before hand. They will know you are coming as well as any advisors there might be. Other than that, I doubt anyone else will be entering the offices.

"You all have your assignments, get to them," Inuyasha instructed as he saw the guards arrive outside his door. "Oh and Kagome, let Sesshoumaru know he can begin the executions whenever he's ready." Kagome nodded before bowing, the rest of the group, besides Hachi and Kirara, following after her, and began making their way out of the room before the guards took their posts at the door and inside the office.

4:45

"Alright men, let's pick up the pace!" Suikotsu called out to the guards behind deciding they were not going fast enough for his liking. Judging by the look on Kagura's face, she agreed with him. Behind him, he could hear the pounding of hooves speed up to match the pace he was now setting, though to him it still seemed like they were going too slow.

Even the increase in speed, did little to lessen Kagura's worry over her friend's parents. And with as stressed out as she was currently, she knew for Kagome it would be even worse. As she rode, she prayed to any Kami that might be listening that they were okay, that the same fate didn't befall them that had the other Ambassador.

"Don't worry Kagura, I'm sure they are fine. There's no reason to believe an attack happened to both convoys around the same time. It was most likely just a bandit attack and Kagome's parents are fine," Suikotsu assured her when he noticed she was fidgeting on her horse.

"More than likely true, however, that fact does not prevent Kagome from worrying about her parents or me from worrying about her. Once we catch up to them and I can see their safety for myself, and I can assure Kagome of it back home, then I will stop worrying," Kagura informed him as she glanced over at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the landscape in front of them.

"Fair enough," Suikotsu replied with a slight smile as he too turned his attention back to where they were going and off of his companion. Other than a few soft words being exchanged by the guards behind them, the group fell mostly silent, leaving Kagura's mind free to worry about the Ambassador silently.

4:50-5:00

"That is everything as Inuyasha has told me. Get the report written up and bring it to me to look over," Sesshoumaru was instructing Jaken as his office door open once again, the last time being when the three inner guards arrived, and he glanced up to find Kagome and Sango entering his office. As they walked up to his desk, they stopped and bowed before him.

"Inuyasha-sama has asked I inform you that you may proceed with the executions as soon as the prisoners are awake. Bankotsu will get nothing further from them and believes there is nothing further to be gotten," Kagome informed him and waited for his nod, before straightening herself and moving to stand to the left of his desk. Giving a slight nod to Sango, she watched as she went around to make sure all of the windows were secured before taking her post to the right of his desk.

"Jaken wake the prisoners and have the guards begin. Once the preparations are complete, give them the go ahead. No sense in waiting for me as it would be too much of a fuss to get me down to the courtyard. Once it and the report is finished, return to me," Sesshoumaru instructed and Jaken bowed before turning and heading out of the office. Once the door had closed, Sesshoumaru turned his attention to the two newest guards in his office.

"As I have already told these three," Sesshoumaru began as he gestured to the guards around the room, "and I am sure she has informed you," he paused again to point at Kagome, "try not to impede my work. You are just doing your job, I am sure, but so am I," Sesshoumaru told Sango as he glanced over at her. After receiving her nod, he turned his attention back to the paperwork on his desk.

Sango glanced over Sesshoumaru's head at Kagome with an eyebrow raised in question. Quickly understanding its meaning, was he always like this, Kagome gave her a slight nod before smiling. Catching Sesshoumaru attention, Kagome stood up straight and looked toward the wall in front of her with her face schooled. "How are you handling things, Kagome?" Sesshoumaru inquired after a moment of silence.

"As well as can be expected, my lord. I am sure Lord Toga's words are correct and they are fine," Kagome replied, easily figuring out what he was referring to. The guards in the room looked confused, but were paid no attention. "Though I will rest much easier once Kagura and Suikotsu return and confirm their safety to me themselves."

"As would be expected. I suppose I do not have to ask if you are still fit for duty?" Sesshoumaru questioned causing Sango to gasp and turn to glare at him in shock for even suggesting it. Kagome quickly caught her attention and shook her head with a smile to assure her friend she was fine with his words.

"I assure you, my lord, had I not been fit, I'd be the first to remove myself from duty. I would not endanger my charges simply for the sake of my pride. You may rest assure," Kagome told him with a smug smirk before turning her attention back to the wall she had been staring at before.

"As one would expect from you, Kagome," Sesshoumaru replied with a smirk of his own before turning his own attention back to the paperwork on his desk. Picking up the first scroll, he began looking it over as silence settled over the room.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

!-- page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --

The following takes place between 5pm and 6pm...

5:00

"Steady those horses," the guard who was in charge of the executions called out as they began getting restless. "The prisoners are on their way out. Have those horses ready for them, I want this over and done with as soon as possible. We've wasted far too much time on this trash today as it is," the guard called out, getting the attention of nearby peasants who began making their way back over to watch the executions.

As the prisoners were lead over to the tree, surrounded on all sides with a guard detail, the peasants spit at their feet and threw rotten fruit and vegetables at them. Vile insults were shouted as well as cheering for their deaths. The guards paid the peasants no mind as the helped the prisoners onto the horses and secured the noose around their necks. "The charges against you are unlawful entry into the Western kingdom, attempted assault on Lord Toga, conspiracy to assassinate a lord and endangering the lives of members of the royal family.

"You have been found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging until dead. Any last words?" the guard inquired as he raised his hand in preparation to give the order to release the horses. When no words were uttered by the men, the guard dropped his hand and the horses were released with a slap to their backside. The horses galloped away from the tree as they neighed in objection to the treatment, leaving their riders to be yanked back by the rope. The crowd roared in cheer as the men dangled off of the ground, suspended in air by the rope.

"Start preparing the wagon. Get it over here now so it is ready once they are dead," the guard commanded as he gestured to the men who were still struggling to breath. The guards quickly moved to obey his command and started leading the horse drawn wagon over toward the tree. The peasants watched, as they continued to throw fruit and cheer, until the men finally stopped struggling and hung limp from the tree. Their entertainment over, the crowd began to disperse, leaving only the guards to perform their duties.

"Alright men, cut them down and get them in the wagon!" the guard called out as he made his way over to stand by the wagon to watch the proceedings. The guards moved to follow his orders once again and were soon cutting the rope of the first man and carrying him over to the wagon. As they tossed his body in, the next group of guards were already cutting down the second man. "I trust their grave is ready?" the guard inquired as he turned toward the guard he had left in charge of it earlier.

"Yes, sir. Their friend is already there waiting for them to join him," the guard informed him with a slight bow before pulling himself up into the front seat of the wagon. He paid the other guards little mind as they tossed another body into the back, causing the wagon to shake slightly.

"Alright get that last one in here. Once we're ready to head out, you men will come with me," he commanded as he gestured to a few of the guards that were there. "You three go round up those horses and return them to the stables. The rest of you, report to your next posts," he instructed as he took a seat in the front of the wagon, just as the last body was thrown into the back.

Reaching into a hidden pocket in his clothing, the guard pulled out the scroll of passage with Sesshoumaru-sama's seal adorning it as the guard next to him grabbed the reigns and urged the wagon forward. Behind him, he could hear the guards he ordered to go with them, climbing onto the back of the wagon as they made their way toward the gate.

As the wagon stopped in front of it, he showed the scroll and was quickly allowed passage outside of the kingdom. "Let's get this scum dropped into the hole and buried quickly, I wish to be finished with this soon," the one guard told the other as they began heading away from the kingdom where a large, unmarked hole was dug, one nameless body already waiting at the bottom.

5:10

Anyone who knew him never would have imagined that a man of his size, especially one wearing a kimono, could move as fast as Jinenji was currently, and all who saw him looked on in shock of his appearance. The normally reserved, calm, and un-rattled doctor was currently rushing through the halls of the kingdom, his long, white kimono hiked up to his knees in a very unladylike gesture. The pounding footsteps that echoed through the halls and the heavy panting of his breathing, warned people of his coming and they quickly moved out of his path.

It wasn't until he had rushed into Lord Toga's office, forgetting all about the formalities of knocking or being bid to enter, that he finally stopped to take a breath. The guards, already being informed to allow him entrance, could do little more than stare at him in confusion, their hands ready on their weapons just in case. "My lord, the guard has awoken," Jinenji began in between pants, "You must come my lord. You shall never believe who was behind the attack unless you hear the words from the guard himself. I even find myself unable to believe it."

"Alright Jinenji, just calm yourself. I shall go hear his words for myself. Guards!" Toga barked out and the guards quickly moved to surround the two as they began making their way out of the office and heading back toward the medical hut. "Relax, my friend, we can now have our only doctor injuring himself. We shall be there soon and I will hear the truth for myself," Toga insured the younger man as he rested his hand on his shoulder in hopes of calming him down.

"I only wish it was not the truth, my lord. This will bring nothing but heartache to the West," Jinenji informed him, confusing the Western Lord even more. By Jinenji's reaction, it was obviously not just a random bandit attack, but who could possibly be behind it, that would upset the West to the degree he was referring to, Toga couldn't fathom.

5:15

"Enter," Sesshoumaru called out, not bothering to look up from the scroll he had been reading when there was a knock at his office door. Kagome glanced over to see one of the guards that was posted outside the door, standing in the doorway and waiting to be told to speak. "Speak," Sesshoumaru finally instructed.

"We have received word that the injured guard has regained consciousness and that Jinenji-sensei is requesting your presence at the medical hut. The guard, that came to inform you, told me it has something to do with who was behind the attack," the guard explained after bowing.

"Shall I give the order, my lord?" Kagome questioned from her position as she turned to glance down at Sesshoumaru. At his nod, she called out, "Alright guards we will be escorting Sesshoumaru-sama to the medical hut. I want you two standing to his front, you two behind him," Kagome called out as she pointed toward the four guards that had been stationed outside the door. "You two will be to his left, Sango and you," Kagome said as she pointed to the last guard, " will be at his right. I shall be in front, within the circle. Get into positions and be ready to go on my command," Kagome instructed before turning her attention to Sesshoumaru as the guards moved as she told them to.

Once she received the nod from Sesshoumaru, she called out, "Alright men, move out!" as she took her place in front of him and laid her hand on her bow. As they made their way through the hallways, Kagome kept her eyes and ears open for anyone that might be around and pose a threat to Sesshoumaru.

5:20

"Right now, with Suikotsu and Kagura gone, and the others each paired off on royal guard duty, there's no one keeping an eye on anything else inside the kingdom other than you. I want you to keep up with your last assignment for now. Report directly to myself anything you find out of the ordinary. Anyone who looks out of place, or even slightly suspicious. On my authority you have the right to detain anyone who even looks like they might be up to something.

"Keep me updated on your progress," Inuyasha was telling Jakotsu as there was a knock at his door. "Enter," he called out, turning his attention away from his subordinate and to the guard who was currently standing in his doorway. "Speak," he bid the guard.

"We have just received a summons for you from Jinenji-sensei, Inuyasha-sama. It would seem the guard has awoken and has informed Jinenji-sensei of who was behind the attack," the guard informed him causing Inuyasha to look stunned for a moment and wait for the guard to continue, when he didn't, Inuyasha asked him who it was. "He didn't say, said you needed to hear it from the guard yourself."

"Alright, I'll head there then," Inuyasha decided as he stood and began making his way out of the office, completely forgetting about his guard detail. Hachi and Kirara glanced over at each other before rolling their eyes and motioning for the guards to follow them as they caught up with Inuyasha. Motioning for the other guards to take up positions around Inuyasha, Hachi and Kirara quickly fell into place next to him.

5:25

"Please repeat what you just said," Toga was instructing to the injured guard as Sesshoumaru arrived at the medical hut. Though nobody noticed it at the time, Toga's eyes were trained on Kagome the moment she stepped into the room guarding his oldest son.

"Ambassador Higurashi was behind the attack on the convoy. I overheard him on my way to warn them about the attack before coming here," the guard repeated, causing everyone in the room to turn toward Kagome, including Inuyasha who had entered at that moment. Kagome gasped as she stared at the guard in utter confusion.

"That's not possible," Kagome finally insisted once she was able to find her voice. "My father would never do something like this. You must be mistaken," she told the guard as she made a step toward him, but seeing all of the guards reaching for their weapons, Kagome thought better and stopped the movement as she placed her hands at her side and away from her bow.

"I'm afraid I did not hear incorrectly, miss. I heard him admit to his involvement as well as knowing of the attack long before he ever should have known about it. There is no doubt," the guard insisted as he glanced over at Kagome with saddened eyes.

"There must be some other explanation. Perhaps you misunderstood what was said or you injured your head during your battle. But there is no way that my parents are traitors, no more than the chances of me being one," Kagome insisted as she turned her glance away from the guard to look Lord Toga in the eyes.

"Arrest her," a voice called out from behind her and Kagome need not turn to know who spoke the words. She started to argue with Sesshoumaru, but she knew it would do her no good. Instead, she took a deep breath, blinking her eyes a few times, as she heard the guards around her unsheathing their weapons and pointing them in her direction.

"Sango, re-leave me of my weapons," Kagome instructed as she ever so slowly rose her right arm so the bow on her back could be taken off. One of the faceless guards around her made a complaint about a possible hostage getting so close to her to get the weapons and without bothering to face him, Kagome explained, "If I try to remove them myself, one of you morons might be inclined to be jumpy and stab me for no reason. Whether or not you trust me, she does and knows I would never lay a hand against her."

Kagome stood completely at attention as Sango walked over and began removing the bow from her shoulder, before taking off her quiver as well. "There is a dagger in the small of my back as well as one below my neck," Kagome explained as she kept her eyes focused straight ahead and made sure not to move in the slightest. "There is a dagger strapped on the outside of each ankle," she continued once Sango had removed the other two.

"Thin shackles are at my right hip as well as the key to them in that pocket," Kagome went on trying to remember if she had brought any other weapons with her that morning. "Smoke bombs are in my left pocket and I know there's something else," Kagome paused as she tried to remember what it was she was forgetting. "Right, the hair pins. They are daggers," Kagome told her once she remembered they were there and tilted her head down so Sango would have easy access.

"Did you wear your bladed necklace today, Kagome?" Sango questioned after she had removed the last two daggers.

"No but you may check to confirm," Kagome assured her and did her best not to look down, to not give the already 'trigger happy' guards a reason to attack her, as Sango parted the opening of her haori and searched for the necklace. "That is all of them," Kagome informed them and after Sango had stepped back, she lowered her arms behind her back. It wasn't a moment later that shackles were being placed around her wrists causing Kagome to flinch slightly against the cold metal.

As a few of the guards began leading her from the room she turned to stare Inuyasha straight in the eyes. "Find the truth, and find it fast," she bid him before allowing herself to be lead completely out of the room, already knowing where her destination was without having to be told.

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru called out to get his younger brother's attention, once he had it, he continued, "Pull your team from royal guard duty. It is no secret they are loyal to her, I shall take no chances and neither should you," he insisted before turning and storming out of the room with the remainder of his guard detail following after him, once Inuyasha had nodded to his own team members for them to stay.

5:40

Toga stood silent for a few moments after his eldest had left the room, feeling utterly defeated. Glancing back at the guard, hoping to get more information out of him, he found him to be once again unconscious. Before he had the chance to inquire about him, Inuyasha had stormed over to where he was standing. "This is insane. You know damn well Kagome had nothing to do with this, I need my second in command with our team, not sitting in some cell. Especially today," Inuyasha insisted.

"Go see to your other duties Inuyasha, now is not the time to be discussing this. As much as I would want to believe in her innocence, her parents are involved and if they are, there is no reason to doubt that she is as well," Toga replied giving Inuyasha a stern look, hoping he would drop it and leave him in peace.

"Kagome herself is enough of a reason to have doubt. This is not over, father, far from it," Inuyasha promised as he turned and stormed out of the room, gesturing for the rest of his team to follow. Sango and Miroku finished gathering up Kagome's discarded weapons before hurrying to catch up to the others. The normal guards who had been assigned to Inuyasha tried to follow after him, but he turned back with a growl and told them to get lost.

Turning back to Jinenji, as his son's escort returned to the room, Toga inquired, "What are his chances? Any idea when we might be able to get more information out of him?"

"There is no way to tell for sure, but I would not say his chances are good. Truthfully, it is up to his will to live. There is nothing left I can do for him other than to try and ease what pain he is in. I suggest you pray," Jinenji told him with a bow before turning and moving back over to check on his patient. Deciding there was nothing more he could do there, Toga headed out of the medical hut, paying little attention to the sudden increase in guards with him.

5:45

"Hachi, Kirara, you two mount up and go after Kagura and Suikotsu and inform them of what's happened. They shouldn't have reached the convoy yet and if only the two of you go you should be able to catch up to them fast enough. Take two horses each. I want them back and I want them back now," Inuyasha told them without bothering to stop or glance over his shoulder at them, as they continued down the hall toward his office.

"You do not wish for us to attack the convoy?" Kirara inquired, thinking it was strange for everyone to return back to the kingdom instead of going after the convoy especially since they already had members of the group out there.

"No the convoy is highly guarded and we do not have the time to get an army ready that would be able to even put a dint in their defenses. Not only that, but it would take far too long for an army to catch up to those two and if what that guard says is true, they are in danger. And what's worse, they don't even know it. No I want everyone back here. My first priority is to prove Kagome innocent, let that bastard Sesshoumaru deal with the convoy until I'm told otherwise," Inuyasha told them as he threw open the door of his office and entered with his group, sans Hachi and Kirara who began heading toward the stables, following him.

5:50-6:00

Rubbing her slightly sore wrists, Kagome wrinkled her nose at the overwhelming stench of fresh and aged blood that stained the small cell around her. Behind her, she could hear the guards, who had just a moment before, thrust her into the cell, making insulting jokes about her getting what was coming to her. Already used to the problems men tended to have with her being in a place of authority, Kagome paid them no mind as she walked over to the small, barred window on the far end of the cell.

Reaching up to place her hands on the bars, she glanced out to find it did in fact not lead to the outside as she had always thought, but to another hallway where she could see the armored feet of guards as they passed by. 'Of course it doesn't lead outside, the dungeon is underground,' Kagome reminded herself with a humorless laugh before turning back to glance around the rest of the cell.

It did not escape her notice, that instead of being placed in a normal cell as prisoners usually were when they were first arrested, she had been placed in the torture cell. It wasn't too hard to figure out with all the blood, but Kagome had hoped it was simply from them bleeding while waiting in the other cell. 'Once this is all taken care of, I'm going to have a word with those guards," Kagome thought to herself with a frown.

Glancing around the room again, she hoped to find a suitable place to sit, but the chairs, as well as the majority of the floor, was covered in blood. "Could have at least gotten me a clean chair," she mumbled as she glanced out of the cell. Down at the end of the hall, she could see a few guards standing guard while laughing about something she couldn't hear.

"I wonder if they realize how fast I could get out of here if I really wanted to?" Kagome questioned out loud to herself as she took stock of everything in the room that could be used in an escape. 'Small sliver of metal over there would pick the lock pretty quickly. Chair leg snapped off at a point would make a nice dagger, another leg for a club. Or I could even use the wood to start a fire to get them open the cell and take off during the confusion.

'Then of course there's the many people that would break me out of here if I only asked. Idiot guards, you never unshackle someone with my training. Morons probably think it's safe cause I'm a woman,' she complained mentally as she rolled her eyes at their stupidity. 'Got to remember to have Bankotsu fortify this place a bit more once this is over with. I'm kind of surprised no one has broken out of here yet, it really wouldn't be that hard.

'They're just lucky I'm really not a traitor,' Kagome decided as she leaned up against the bars, figuring they would be the cleanest in the cell. "Alright Inuyasha, put your skills into action and get me out of this place. I hate the smell of stale blood," Kagome complained out loud, trying her best not to think of just who it had been that ordered her arrest.

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

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The following takes place between 6pm and 7pm...

6:00

"This is ridiculous, there's no way Kagome could ever be a traitor. Surely Lord Toga and Sesshoumaru-sama know that. I don't understand this, are they just going through to motions to save face or what? There's no way they could possibly think that she betrayed the West, right?" Sango questioned as she glanced around at the others in the room before turning her attention to Inuyasha.

"They're a bunch of idiots, that's what they are. They know damn well she'd never betray us, but their stupid pride's been hurt. The thought of someone like Kagome being a traitor turns them into idiots. There's no way they could ever think she really was a traitor, they can't be that stupid," Inuyasha insisted as he glanced over what was left of him team from behind his desk.

"Alright, we've got no time to waste sitting around here, bitching about what's going on. We've got a job to do, though I have no idea on how to do it so we're gonna take a page outta Kagome's book. We'll start at the bottom of the food chain and work our way back up. Go to where the scum of the kingdom hang out. I don't care what you have to do, use any means necessary and see if you can't get anything out of them. Past jobs they worked for the Ambassador, rumors they might have heard in their circle.

"Be forewarned, by now the guards have been informed that a member of our team has been arrested, do not give them any reason to haul you in as well. We're short staffed enough as it is, we can't lose anymore people. We'll no longer have free reign of the kingdom, so be careful. Go undercover if you have to. You'll be working individually since that way you can cover more ground," Inuyasha told them before pausing to see if they had any questions, Sango did.

"Why are we not going to search the Ambassador's courters? I would think that would be the best place to start," Sango insisted, a bit confused.

"Yeah it is, and that's exactly where the guards are going to be. I don't want to put you guys in contact with them and it would be better if we were working a different angle than them. However, once they clear out of there, I will be sending you guys in. I'm not going to trust the job to be done right by those morons, but for now we'll just have to wait. Any other questions?" Inuyasha inquired and glanced around at the three members of his team that were in his office.

After they had each shook their heads no, he continued, "Alright, report back anything you find to me. You have your assignments, you are dismissed." Inuyasha watched as they each bowed before leaving the room before heading out himself in hope of getting a meeting with his father.

6:10

"You think we should wake him?" a soft voice whispered as the owner glanced into the dim room from the doorway, just barely able to make out the still figure on the futon. She glanced over her shoulder at her two companions that were huddled behind her, but they merely shrugged their shoulders to her question.

"He should eat, he'll need to keep up his strength," a second voice finally decided as he squeezed in passed his two friends and silently began making his way over to the futon. Just as he was about to place his hand on the figure's shoulder to wake him, a hand reached out and stopped him.

"But if we wake him he will probably cry rather than eat, and all those tears will probably just make him sick," the third voice insisted as she tried to pull her friend back toward the door way. "We should let him rest and give him something to eat when he wakes up on his own."

"Him sleeping isn't going to help anything, Rin. At least if he was awake we could help keep his mind off what happened, but who knows what he's going to dream about," the first voice insisted as she finally walked over to where the other two were standing.

"But he doesn't seem to be having a nightmare, so wouldn't it be better to leave him be at least until he does, Kanna?" Rin questioned as she glanced over at her, without releasing the arm she was holding on to.

"Well I can't argue with that. Great, both you and Kohaku have a point, I don't know who to side with," Kanna mumbled as she stood back and watched her friends fight over whether to wake him or not.

"Couldn't you guys argue about this outside of my room?" Shippo questioned as he opened his eyes with a yawn and turned to glare at them.

"Well since you're awake anyways, you might as well get up and get something to eat," Kohaku decided, ignoring the glare and the fact that he was partly responsible for him being awake. "We'll give you a few minutes to freshen up, we'll wait outside," he told Shippo as he grabbed onto Kanna and Rin's arms and began dragging them from the room.

Shippo watched them go before shaking his head. After another yawn, he got out of bed and began washing his face. After changing quickly, he made his way out of the room to find his friends waiting on the other side of the door. Before he had the chance to say anything, they were dragging him down the hall, talking about what they wanted to eat.

6:20

A loud crashed echoed throughout the office as books, scrolls, writing utensils and anything else he found on his desk, went flying into a near by wall. Too enraged to pay any mind to what he was doing, Sesshoumaru barely noticed when he lifted his desk and flung it across the room, causing it to shatter as it impacted the wall.

Next he pulled plaques, weapons and the shield off of his wall and threw them around the room one by one, his smirk slightly growing as each one made a louder noise. Noticing his guards were staring at him, terror filling their eyes, he bellowed at them to leave and watched with unveiled satisfaction as they scrambled to get out of the room and away from his war path.

Soon it was only him and Jaken, who was huddled in the doorway, that remained in the office. Though he knew he was there, Sesshoumaru decided to ignore his advisor as he began making his way over to the window and ripped off the shutters and soon those met the same fate as everything else that had been into the room.

Their destruction was followed by a howl of frustration as Sesshoumaru realized there was nothing else heavy in his office to throw. Deciding it was now a bit safer, as there was nothing left for Sesshoumaru to throw at him, Jaken opted to speak now as his lord was slightly winded and less likely to kill him at that moment. "Is there anything I can do, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Leave!" Sesshoumaru bellowed without even bothering to turn to face his advisor. His loud voice startled Jaken and after jumping a few inches off of the ground, he began scrambling to leave. He had only made it about halfway down the hall when Sesshoumaru called out, "Jaken!" causing him to hurry back to the office doorway.

"Yes Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken inquired, praying he had been called back because there was something he could do to be of service rather than because Sesshoumaru had decided to take out his frustrations on him.

"Send down Bankotsu to the cell. Have him try to talk to her," Sesshoumaru commanded, practically spitting out the word 'her', "But have someone down there to guard him. The last thing we need is a traitor running loose and there is no way to know if he would help her or not."

"Understood, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken told him before bowing and rushing back out of the office, in a hurry to find Bankotsu, least Sesshoumaru have a reason to be pissed off at him. 'Though perhaps it would be better to take my time finding him, as I will have to return to Sesshoumaru-sama's side once I do, and I have no wish to be there at this moment,' Jaken thought to himself as he began making his way down hallways.

Soon as he spotted a nearby guard, he instructed him to inform the guards in the dungeon of what was going on, before continuing on his way. 'But then again, if I take too long to return, Sesshoumaru-sama will probably be angry at me anyways,' Jaken decided mentally as he rounded another corner to find a completely deserted hall. "Can't win for losing can I?" Jaken grumbled to himself, deciding that neither of his options seemed very promising. But before he could decide which to do, he spotted the man he was looking for coming toward him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama has ordered you down to talk to the traitor," Jaken informed him as he stopped and waited for Bankotsu to close the distance between them. Bankotsu glanced at the shorter man for a moment with both eyebrows raised in question before scoffing at him.

"Couple of problems with that. One I answer to Inuyasha-sama, not Sesshoumaru-sama. Two in case he's forgotten, he's the one that pulled us off duty, thought he didn't trust us. And three, you can't question a traitor that doesn't exist," Bankotsu insisted as he moved to walk passed Jaken.

"He doesn't trust you, that is why there will be guards there to oversee your movements. And I would not recommend going against Sesshoumaru-sama's orders at the moment, no matter who you answer to. I suggest you stop by what's left of his office if you don't understand my meaning. He has already destroyed everything inside, including his desk, and is not really in the mood to be disobeyed."

"Well too bad for him. If he's got a problem with me not listening to him, tell him to come find me himself. I'll tell him the same thing to his face," Bankotsu informed Jaken before walking passed him and continuing on the way he had been going before being stopped.

Jaken quickly tried to come up with something to get him to follow Sesshoumaru's orders, in no mood to be the one to go back and tell the royally pissed off man that he was being disobeyed. "Would you rather it be one of the kingdom's guards down with her?!" Jaken called after him quickly, causing Bankotsu to stop for a moment before continuing on. 'Damn it,' Jaken mumbled mentally before hurrying after him.

"You know as well as I do that they are bumbling idiots. Who knows what they will claim she confessed to or said. And it would be very likely that they screw up and end up killing the poor girl!" Jaken called after him, finally getting Bankotsu to stop and turn around to face him.

"I'm only going down there to talk to her. And only because she would not be safe in their hands, not because Sesshoumaru-sama ordered it," Bankotsu insisted as he began walking back the way he had come.

"Talking is all Sesshoumaru-sama ordered and I would suggest bringing your tools anyways. If not for the fact that the guards might try something if you don't have them, thinking you might be there to help her escape, than for the simple fact that she might be more willing to talk if she knows what's coming. I have a feeling that's why Sesshoumaru-sama wanted you down there in the first place."

"More willing to talk? It doesn't matter how willing to talk you are if you have nothing to talk about. Kagome is not a traitor," Bankotsu threw over his shoulder as he began making his way back to his chambers where he had left the tool kit when he was done with it earlier.

"I do not believe so either. Annoying brat she maybe, but not a traitor," Jaken whispered to himself before heading in the direction of Sesshoumaru's office. Deciding it would be better to deal with his anger later rather than sooner, Jaken slowed his pace.

6:35

Kagome glanced out of the cell as she heard sounds coming from down the hallway. She watched curiously, as about five kingdom guards began making their way toward her cell. Seeing they had her attention, they sneered at her before taking up posts outside of the cell door, making no move to open it.

'Interesting,' Kagome thought to herself before looking the guards over. 'They're not here for me, taking my shackles off proves they don't think I'm a threat, so what brings them here?' Kagome wondered as she began pacing around in the cell, going over the options in her head. 'Ah my interrogator must be incoming, but it's not procedure to have guards here when only one person is being questioned.

'Perhaps my soon to be interrogator fears me,' she suggested to herself before turning her attention back to the guards once again. 'No that can't be right. If that was the case, they'd be coming in before he got here to restrain me.' Kagome decided as she tilt her head toward the guards in question. 'If they are not here because of me or to protect the interrogator, what other reason could they have to be here? I doubt I'm to be transferred this soon...

'Bank! That's got to be it. They're sending Bankotsu to question me, but because Sesshoumaru had said he didn't trust the members of my group, the guards must be here to make sure he doesn't try to set me free. But why Bankotsu? Why a member of my own group? Wouldn't it make sense to send someone else? And for that matter, who would send him?

'It couldn't be Inuyasha as he would just question me himself. And I can't imagine it being Lord Toga, he has never fully agreed with Bankotsu's methods. In fact, sending Bankotsu is something I would do, which means Sesshoumaru is the most likely to have sent him.' Kagome decided with a sigh, getting the attention of the nearby guards, but having more important things to think about, she ignored them.

'It all makes sense. The reason it's Bankotsu being sent is because he's hoping I would confess straight away since I know what he is capable of. The guards because Sesshoumaru himself said he doesn't trust our group, not that I blame him though with one of the team members already arrested under the suspicion of being a traitor. Now, the only question is, whether he's sending Bankotsu because he's hoping I will confess before I have the chance to get hurt or because if I don't talk, he knows what Bankotsu will do to get me to?'

Sighing again, Kagome decided to drop that line of thought for now and glanced around the cell once again. Her eyes were drawn back to the blood stains on the ground and fought the urge to roll her eyes. 'There's no way any of them really think I had something to do with all of this. I mean, I understand they can't just do nothing, but they have to know I would never betray them. If anything, my years of unblemished service tells them that,' Kagome insisted mentally before shaking her head to once again clear her train of thought.

'Now those two things settled,' and they were as far as Kagome was concerned, 'why in the world would the guard think my parents were behind the attack? I did not sense any malice from him or his words, he truly believes what he said was the truth, the question is why he thinks so. I suppose my suggestion that he hit his head is probably the most likely. I would just chalk it up to him hearing what my father said incorrectly, but he was so adamant that he hadn't.

'But perhaps my father was speaking hypothetically, worried they wouldn't hear word of an attack until it was too late and the guard simply misunderstood him, thinking he was referring to the attack that had already taken place. Considering everything he has gone through today, it wouldn't be hard to fathom that happening. And it is most definitely more likely than my parents truly being traitors. I'll have to remember to have Bankotsu tell Inuyasha to question the guard of this possibility.'

6:45

Bankotsu stood in his doorway as he glanced over to the top right drawer of his dresser. A seemingly harmless drawer, no one but himself knew of its contents or what said contents could do to a person when in a skilled hand. The fact that he had told Jaken that he would do no more than talk to Kagome, did little to calm his nerves. He knew what would happen if he couldn't get her to confess just by talking to her.

"And since she had nothing to do with what happened, how is she supposed to confess?" Bankotsu questioned out loud to himself as he was torn between not wanting to be the one to question her and not wanting to leave the questioning to an incompetent guard. "It is only a matter of time before I am forced to go passed talking, least I want one of the guards to do so, but how am I supposed to get her to confess to crimes, that I don't even believe she committed, before that happens?

"But if it is not me down there, I can not guaranty her safety or survival. It is no secret that a female being in her position has caused some problems and even now there are those that would wish to take her spot from her. I can not take the chance that one such person would be the one to interrogate her in my stead, as they would find it easier to kill her rather than take the time to question her." Bankotsu decided as he finally entered into his room and moved over to the dresser.

Slowly opening the drawer, he pulled out his tool kit and glanced down at the cloth it was wrapped in as he held it before him. Never had his kit nor his heart felt so heavy to him. Sighing, Bankotsu made his way over and sat down on his futon, before placing his tool kit next to him. "I can not go and yet I can not not go. I know not which would be the lesser of the two evils. Being the one to inflict pain upon her or allowing someone else, most likely with malice intent, to do so.

"What would you do in my position, Kagome?" Bankotsu questioned out loud, not caring that the person he was speaking to was in another part of the kingdom and stood no chance of hearing him. "What would you have me do? Would it be worse to you to have your subordinate be your interrogator or to have a stranger you might not trust? You'd follow procedure wouldn't you? Follow the orders of Lord Toga and his sons above all else, that is what you taught us isn't it? Their word is law and must always be obeyed, no matter the outcome.

"That is why you went willingly when Sesshoumaru-sama called for your arrest isn't it? Accused of being a traitor and yet you still put their word above your safety, your freedom. That is what you would have me do now, right? Set aside my feelings, my opinions and do as my lord instructed me. I am sure this is what you'd tell me, I just hope it is the right choice," Bankotsu said as he picked back up his tool kit and ran his fingers over the cloth.

"Bishamon, God of War, God of Good Fortune, hear my plea. Bestow upon Kagome your blessing, in this, her time of need. Never before has someone so worthy needed it so much. And if there is one more deserving then her, I should like to meet them as any who are more law-abiding then she, surely must be a living Buddha. I beg you, help us to clear her name before I am forced to harm an innocent woman," Bankotsu prayed as he turned his attention toward his doorway, still unready to head down to the dungeon where he knew Kagome was waiting.

6:55-7:00

Jinenji let off a long sigh as he pulled the sheet over the head of his latest patient and called over his shoulder for his assistant. "Shiori please instruct the guard waking outside to inform Lord Toga, Sesshoumaru-sama and Inuyasha-sama of his passing. As they will no doubt inquire, inform them that we learned nothing else from him as he did not awake again. Though I did learn his name from his clothing, and if they wish to know, tell them his name was Roka," Jinenji instructed her before walking over to the wash basin to clean his hands.

Behind him, he could hear Shiori making her way toward the door and barely caught some of the whispered words to the guard. After fully scrubbing his hands, Jinenji began making his way over to his desk to fill out a full report, knowing Lord Toga would most likely be asking for it soon. As he was writing, he saw Shiori return out of the corner of his eye. "Is there anything else I can do, Jinenji-sensei?"

"Find him some clean clothing to be cremated in. Once done, begin washing him, I will take over once I am done here," Jinenji told her without glancing up from his scroll. Shiori bowed slightly, before heading off to do as he bid, and Jinenji continued to write down a detailed account of everything that had happened since Roka had been brought to his hut. He gave a detailed history of the injuries he had sustained, both offensive and defensive, a long with every word the guard had spoken during his few minutes of consciousness.

It wasn't long before the report was finished and Jinenji was making his way over to where Shiori was still washing the guard's upper body. "Go take your evening meal, Shiori, I shall deal with him now," Jinenji instructed and after the girl nodded and walked away, he grabbed the cloth she had been using and picked up where she had left off.

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AN: Bishamon is of course the god of good fortune and war, strange as a combination as that might be, and tends to reward law-abiding people. Reference taken from www(dot)godchecker(dot)com.

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

AN: As with The Void, some how I missed updating this story here even though I caught all the others. Sorry about that and please enjoy the two chapters.

The following takes place between 7pm and 8pm...

7:00

"This is ridiculous, you know as well as I do, that there is no way Kagome could have been a part of this. Kagome is loyal to the West, loyal to you, and yet you allow her to be thrown into the dungeon like some common thief. Is this really how you want to treat someone with a spotless service record?" Inuyasha demanding as he barged into his father's office, interrupting the meeting he had going on.

"Inuyasha this is not the time to be having this discussion. I am busy right now. Have your advisor set up a meeting with one of mine to arrange a time when we can talk. Now if you do not mind," Toga said leaving the rest of the sentence to hang in the air as he turned back to his advisor and tried to continue the meeting.

"My advisor? Don't you think that's going to be a little hard considering you threw her in the dungeon? Get her out of there and I will be more than happy to have her set up a meeting with one of your advisors to talk about getting her out of there!" Inuyasha shouted at his father, not really caring that what he had said didn't really make that much sense.

"She is still your only advisor? How many times do I have to tell you two that you need more than one? Appoint one of your other team members as your advisor and send them to talk to mine," Toga suggested before he once again tried to get his meeting going again.

"Unlike your incompetent advisors, Kagome can do the job just fine on her own. Apparently even Jaken can as well, since we both know Sesshoumaru would not put up with him if he couldn't do his job. Instead of suggesting to us to get more advisors, perhaps you should hire one that could actually do the job right," Inuyasha threw at him while giving his advisor a dirty look.

"Inuyasha I do not have the time for your antics right now. I am very busy at the moment. As I am sure you are as well. I know you do not believe Kagome would be a part of something like this, and truthfully I would not either, however, her parents are and I do not believe she would go against them. Now I need you to be getting the army ready to go after their convoy. We have already wasted enough time today as it is," Toga insisted, turning his full attention to his son.

"It'll take a few hours before enough men are suited up and ready to go. I already got things started before coming here. Contrary to popular believe, I do know how to do my own job. Just as every other member of my team does. You just better pray nothing else happens today, cause in case you have forgotten, the only reason you are still alive is currently sitting in a cell," Inuyasha pointed out before turning and stomping out of his father's office.

7:05

Hearing the keys rattling, Kagome glanced up to find one of the guards opening the cell door to allow Bankotsu to enter. Kagome just watched quietly as the door was closed and locked again behind him. "So I was right, the escort out there was for you. Probably means I was right about Sesshoumaru-sama being the one to send you down here," Kagome commented with a shrug as she watched Bankotsu look everywhere around the small cell but at her.

"Bank, relax. I understand that you are just doing your job. No matter what happens in this cell today, I will not hold it against you. To tell you the truth, I would have ordered you down here myself. Above all else, the lives of the royal family are more important and we have already had an attack on the lord's life as well as an attack on our Ambassador's convoy. We do not have the time to go pussy-footing around, worried about hurting people's feelings.

"They believe I have information that will help, your job is to get that information out of me. That is all you need to know, all that matters. Who I am, my years of service, my friends, my loves, none of it matters right now. I am simply a suspected traitor being kept in a cell for interrogation. Just think of me as someone you don't know, it will make your job much easier," Kagome assured him with a smile, finally getting him to look at her.

Bankotsu drew a deep breath before grabbing one of the chairs and placing it in front of her. As he exhaled, he sat himself down and stared at her for a few moments. "Sesshoumaru-sama has ordered me to try talking to you first. But I do not understand how I am supposed to question you when I myself do not believe you are guilty of anything. I was worried that they would send some incompetent idiot down here to do it and did not want to think of what that could have led to," Bankotsu explained as he set his pack down on his lap.

"Well I hate to make this any harder for you than it has to be, but I am afraid talking will do no good. I had nothing to do with any of this and so I have nothing I can tell you. I realize you can not just take my word for it, so as I said before, just treat this as a normal interrogation," Kagome instructed, ignoring his pack, having already figured that he would bring it.

"Who does Ambassador Higurashi work for?" Bankotsu began, making sure to pay close attention to Kagome's subconscious movements in case she let off any tells.

"Lord Toga and Lord Menomaru," Kagome replied without missing a beat.

"Who is Ambassador Higurashi loyal to?"

"The East," Kagome answered, seeing Bankotsu's confused expression, she explained. "My parents are from the East, remember? My father is the Ambassador of the East sent to the West in accordance with the treaty. His job is to see to it that the East's needs are met and that Lord Menomaru be represented here, just as the West's Ambassador did while in the East. Therefore, my father is loyal to the East first and foremost."

"And who are you loyal to?" Bankotsu questioned after a few moments of digesting the information.

"The West," Kagome answered, once again without the slightest of hesitation.

"If your parents are loyal to the East, why are you not as well?"

"I was born here. I have spent my entire life here. Normally I only visit the East once a year on the Ambassador's homecoming trip. My friends, my 'family', my life is here in the West. I barely even know my uncle, and as such, I am loyal to Lord Toga above him," Kagome explained, watching with veiled satisfaction as the man she had trained picked up on the slight bit of information she had given him.

"Your uncle? What does he have to do with anything?" Bankotsu inquired, not bothering to mask his confusion.

"I see you do not know. Very well, it should also answer your next question," Kagome told him, smiling when he gave her a confused look. "Why my father was appointed as Ambassador. The late Lady of the East was my maternal aunt. The Lord my uncle, his heir my cousin. When my aunt married Lord Menomaru, she wanted my mother to become the Ambassador, as the East and West had currently been working on a treaty at that time. But Lord Menomaru did not wish such an important job to be given to a woman, worried that the West would not take her seriously, and instead decided that whoever married her would become Ambassador.

"Which ended up being a young lord from a nearby village of my mother's. My grandfather had originally been planning on my aunt marring him, but with Lord Menomaru looking for a wife, the first daughter, my aunt, entered into that marriage. Which gave my mother to the young lord for marriage and he in turn became the Ambassador," Kagome explained and watched as Bankotsu thought it over for a few moments before nodding his head.

7:20

Outside of Toga's office, a guard arrived, speaking softly with the guard outside the door for a few moments. The second guard gave him a slight nod after he finished speaking. "You should not be needed, but wait a moment just in case," the guard instructed before turning and knocking on the shoji door in front of him.

"Enter," he heard Lord Toga call out to him and quickly slid open the door and made his way into the room. Stopping in front of the desk, he bowed and waited for Toga to instruct him to begin. "Speak," Toga commanded, in a hurry to find out what the guard had to say as well as get back to his meeting.

"Jinenji-sensei has sent word to inform you that the guard, Roka was his name, passed away a little while ago. He did not awake again before and Jinenji-sensei has nothing else at this moment to report," the guard informed Lord Toga before being dismissed. Bowing once again, he walked back out of the office and closed the door behind him. Nodding toward the messenger, the guard took his spot in front of the door once again as the other began making his way down the hallway.

As he continued on his way through the halls, it wasn't difficult for him to determine that he was getting close to Sesshoumaru's office. The loud noises and screams of frustration were rather hard to miss. Thankful he was not on the list of guards allowed entry under the new safety measures, he quickened his pace, in a hurry to pass along the message and be on his way.

As he turned the corner and opened his mouth to speak, he caught sight of Sesshoumaru-sama's short advisor and decided to give the unfortunate guards posted outside, who were currently cringing at the loud crash coming from inside the office, a break and speak directly to Jaken. After the short man jumped at the noise, he turned his attention toward the guard and raised a bushy eyebrow in question. "I have been sent to inform you that Roka, the guard Jinenji-sensei was caring for, passed away not long ago. And that he did not reveal any more information," the guard informed him with a bow before standing at attention, either waiting for a reply or further instructions.

Jaken thought over what he had been told for a moment before he was startled by another crash coming from the office behind him. "Very well, I shall inform Sesshoumaru-sama of this. You best be on your way. I am sure you still need to inform Inuyasha-sama," Jaken said as he waved his hand to dismiss the guard. Taking a deep breath, Jaken tried to calm his nerves before turning around to the officer door.

Giving the guards a slight nod, he waited as they slid the shoji door open before stepping into the room and ducking as some flying object tried to crash into his head. Ignoring the loud bang as it hit the wall adjacent to the doorway, Jaken turned to his seething employer who was panting for breath in the corner of the room.

7:30

Jakotsu just sort of stood there after informing Inuyasha of what he had learned. He had known, even as he received this bit of information himself, that Inuyasha was not going to like it. He'd hair it in fact, much like Jakotsu did. With as much as he didn't want to be the one to tell him, or anywhere in the vicinity when someone else did, he also realized that the sooner Inuyasha knew about this, the sooner it could be dealt with and it would have taken him far too long to find and fill in someone he could trust to bring the news to Inuyasha.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Inuyasha finally screamed, startling Jakotsu, though he showed no outward sign. Figuring Inuyasha really wasn't looking for an answer, Jakotsu just waited quietly, knowing the outburst was far from over. "What the hell is wrong with these people?!" Inuyasha demanded and Jakotsu thought it wise not to remind him that he was one of 'these people'. "With as many times as she has risked her life for them, this is how they repair her?! As if being arrested, accused of being a traitor and being thrown in a cell isn't bad enough, now they have her being interrogated by a man she herself trained?"

Jakotsu decided, since he himself had just informed Inuyasha that Bankotsu was down with Kagome, that that was another question that didn't really need to be answered. He watched for a moment as Inuyasha began to pace around his office, mumbling to himself, before turning to answer the knock on the door. The guard whispered to him for a moment before Jakotsu sighed and closed the door. "I'm afraid there's more bad news," Jakotsu began as he turned back to Inuyasha, who paused in his pacing.

7:35

The children of the kingdom stood in wonder, not sure if they should be excited or scared by what they were hearing. From their vantage point in the courtyard, they could easily hear the raised voices coming from not only Inuyasha's office, but Sesshoumaru's as well. And while Inuyasha being loud wasn't anything new to the children, Sesshoumaru's bellows certainly were. Not to mention loud crashes had been coming from his office for quite a while now.

"Has the whole kingdom gone mad?" Kohaku questioned as he glanced over at his friends after another crash came from Sesshoumaru's office. Before any of them were able to answer, they were startled by Inuyasha's yell of 'they are all idiots' and they glanced back at his window to make sure he wasn't yelling at them.

"I think they may have. If arresting Kagome wasn't bad enough, now both of Lord Toga's sons have completely lost their minds," Kanna decided shaking her head as another crash came from one of the offices above them, though it was hard to tell which one had caused it.

"Arresting Kagome? Why was she arrested?" Shippo demanded as he turned to his friends completely confused at the new information.

"Oh that's right, you were asleep weren't you? You haven't heard," Rin realized as she turned toward her friends, pleading with them for one of them to fill him in on what he had missed. Catching the look in her eyes, Kohaku nodded and sent her a reassuring smile.

"Just remember people don't tell kids that much, what we know is from overhearing conversations, so we don't have all of the facts," Kohaku began and the girls nodded their heads in agreement.

"I already know this, Kohaku, get on with it," Shippo instructed, annoyed his friend seemed to be trying to stall.

"The guard that came here and told Lord Toga about the convoy," Kohaku began again only to pause when Shippo cringed at the mention of his parents' convoy. After a moment, Shippo nodded for him to continue. "Well when he woke up again, it seems he told Lord Toga who was behind the attack. Apparently it was the other Ambassador and he overheard him talking about it when he went to warn them. Then Kagome was arrested as a traitor seeing as it was her parents behind the attack," Kohaku finished and watched his friend carefully, unsure of how he would take the news.

"But that doesn't make any sense. Kagome promised me she would get those responsible for the attack on my parents, she can't be a traitor. It's just not possible," Shippo insisted, throughly confused about what he had just learned.

"Well she seems to be insisting she's innocent, so you're probably right," Rin told him, hoping to calm him down a bit. "Besides, Inuyasha-sama is on the job, if anyone can prove her innocence it's him right?" Rin questioned as she turned to glance at each of her friends. After a moment, the three of them nodded earning one of her bright smiles.

7:40-8:00

"Why did your parents attack the convoy?" Bankotsu questioned, his eyes trained on Kagome's face, not that he really believed he would spot a tell tale sign of her lying, but it was his job to try.

"They didn't. There is no reason for them to have nor to believe they have. All of Lord Toga's evidence is based off of one guard's accounts. A guard that arrived here battered and beaten, very likely having sustained at least one blow to the head, based on his wounds. Now I can not for the life of me think of any reason for the guard to have been lying, nor did I sense any malice from the man, so it is more likely that he simply misunderstood what he heard.

"Or perhaps remembered incorrectly. Either of these explanations are far more likely than my parents having betrayed not only the West but the East as well. My father has spent most of his life doing everything in his power to keep peace between our two kingdoms. Not only making sure that Lord Menomaru is represented here, but also that Lord Toga is represented every time he went home. If even a suggestion of my parents being behind the attack leak to both sides, this could easily start a war between the West and the East.

"My father has been ensuring for almost 20 years that, that did not happen. And now with the impending wedding with Inuyasha and Kikyou, there is no way my father would do anything to endanger the peace between us. What Lord Toga and the others should be looking for, if it was in fact not just a group of random bandits, is anyone, within or outside of the two kingdoms, that wished to destroy the peace between us.

"Between Lord Toga and Lord Menomaru, there are plenty of enemies that would use this opportunity to strike us. And yet, time is being waisted interrogating me. Let me ask you one thing, Bankotsu," Kagome began as she looked him straight in the eye and held his gaze, "If, and I stress the word, I had any prior knowledge of the attacks or was in some way connected to them, why would I remain here? I could have easily gone with my parents this morning without raising any suspicions as I have often gone with them on the trip.

"I could have left and been far away, safe and sound, rather that working to not only prevent the death of Lord Toga this morning, but also stopping the later attempts. Think back on today and all that has happened. Think about everything, every move that I have made. I apprehended a would-be assassin before he was able to kill Lord Toga. Going undercover I was able to find and apprehend two others working together with the first assailant and prevent them from going any further in their plans.

"Also, with the help of Sango, discovered that not only was one of them a guard that worked in our kingdom, but also that there was a forth assailant still within our walls. And using a plan of my own creation, was able to, once again with the help of Sango and Kagura as well, stop him before he was able to carry out his plans. Also, when the guard arrived and I recognized the colors of the East, meaning he was most likely a messenger from Lord Menomaru or from the convoy, I was the one who ordered the guards to allow him entrance and to be taken to Jinenji-sensei.

"Exactly what part of all that I have done today sounds remotely like I have betrayed the West? If I was a traitor, I would have allowed the assassins, who have no connection to myself, to do their jobs and no one would have ever been the wiser. Yet, that is not what happened. So tell me, Bankotsu, do I sound like I betrayed anyone? Perhaps I should say it this way. If I had betrayed the West and wished for the death of Lord Toga, he would already be dead," Kagome insisted causing Bankotsu to give her another confused look.

"I see I have confused you again, Bankotsu. Do you know why I am the most decorated person in this entire kingdom? It is not only because I am the most the trained. I am also the most trusted. I am the only member of Inuyasha's team, other than himself, whose movements are not restricted. I can enter Lord Toga and Sesshoumaru-sama's courters without their lives being endanger. I can come and go as I please. There is nothing that happens in this kingdom that I do not know. Everything shared with Inuyasha, he shares with me.

"Everything Sesshoumaru-sama knows, I know. Their schedules, their plans, their dreams, their secrets, I know it all. I know everything from the first girl that Inuyasha kissed, to Sesshoumaru-sama's top secret wife prospects to the kingdoms Lord Toga is currently trying to enter into treaties with. Some even his own advisors are not aware of. I know every nook and cranny of this kingdom. The secret passages, the royal escape routes, where they will be hiding in case they are driven out of the kingdom.

"There is nothing that I do not know. If I wished the death of any member of the royal family or their advisors, I could have accomplished my goal many times over. And I most certainly would not have done so in such a public manner. I am the most decorated because I am around them the most. Because I have had more opportunities than others to be there when something happened. Because I have spent most of my life training, because not only am I good at what I do, but I'm the best. I do not brag, merely speak the truth.

"Do not think for a single moment that if I wanted to be gone, that I would still be here. Now you can suggest that the reason I stayed behind, if I had anything to do with what happened, was to make sure plans here did not fail. However, now that the heat was on, I would get as far away as I can. And I could. Right at this very moment I can think of at least four ways to get out of this cell and slip away. First of course is the many people that would break me out of here in a heart beat if I asked them.

"Second, there is a small sliver of metal over there on the floor," Kagome informed him pointing over to where it was, "That could easily pick the cell lock in a matter of moments. Then there are the chairs. I could quickly start a fire with them and escape during the commotion. And of course, I could always use them for weapons once I was out of here. Idiots out there unshackled me the moment they put me in here. Guess they figured since I was just a woman they had no reason to fear me," Kagome told him with a slightly dark chuckle as she turned to glare at the guards on the other side of the cell.

"What is the forth?" Bankotsu questioned once he had Kagome's attention again. Having been still testing him to make sure he was doing his job correctly, Kagome couldn't help but smile when he refrained from getting distracted away from her remaining escape plan.

"This cell, and all the others, were made to hold men, not small woman with slender figures. I could easily pass through any of the bars without ever making a sound," Kagome told him with a shrug. "For all the reasons to disprove any idea that I have betrayed the West, there is but one to prove I did not. I am now, have always been and will always be, loyal to the West."

"I wish I could just take your word, Kagome, I really do. But you know I can't. And if I do not start doing more than just talking soon, I fear, the guards will grow restless and have someone else sent in here. As much as I do not wish to be the one to do what I am about to do, I wish it even less that it is someone else. I truly hope what you said when I first arrived is the truth, I hope that you can forgive me for what I do," Bankotsu told her as he stood and sat Kagome in the chair he had been using.

She did little more than send him a reassuring smile as he began to tie her arms to the chair before moving out of her line of sight. Setting his pack down, he opened it up, grabbed a small dagger and began making his way back over to her. Closing his eyes, Bankotsu took a deep breath. "Above all else, Bankotsu, always do your job," Kagome whispered softly to him but a moment before he opened his eyes and dragged his blade against the flesh of her arm.

***

AN: Now before anyone starts screaming about Kagome being OOC, let me remind you that this is an AU and she is in fact not the 'Kagome' we all know and love. In this story, although there really isn't one, she is the most Jack-like character. Think of how she acts as how Jack would act, seems a bit more in character now doesn't it? :P

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

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The following takes place between 8pm and 9pm...

8:00

As a loud scream pierced the air, throughout the kingdom, heads shot up at the sound. From his office, Inuyasha pushed passed the guards guarding his door, Jakotsu trailing behind him, as he began rushing toward the direction the scream came from. Ignoring the startled looks from the servants as he passed by and the calls from the guards behind him to return to his office, Inuyasha ran at full speed, making it hard for even Jakotsu to keep up with him.

In his office, a silence had settled over Sesshoumaru and Jaken at the scream, finally being broken when another scream pierced the air and Sesshoumaru went back to throwing the already destroyed objects around the room once again. Deciding he would do more harm than good inside, or rather he would most likely be harmed, Jaken quietly made his way back out of the office, closing the door behind him.

As the third scream rang though the kingdom, Lord Toga cringed in his seat behind his desk as his eyes glanced in the direction he knew the dungeon was in. Across from him, his advisor once again tried to continue on with the meeting, having been interrupted each time they heard a scream, but Toga finally waved a hand to dismiss him. He knew that they wouldn't be getting any work done at the moment and truthfully was in no mood to try.

At the forth scream, Sango and Miroku, having been the two closest to the dungeon, arrived at the guarded door, seeking entrance, but the guards refused them, claiming they were given orders that none shall pass. Seeing his wife about to attack the guard, Miroku pulled her away, while whispering, "Inuyasha-sama will be here soon."

A fifth scream echoed throughout the kingdom, causing the children to jump once again, as they remained otherwise frozen in shock, staring toward the dungeon, as they had been since the first scream. Though they didn't know exactly what was happening to her, the children knew just how strong Kagome was and that she had to be really hurt for her to scream out like that. Unable to do anything else, Rin and Kanna began to cry for her as the boys found the strength to move and held them.

When the sixth scream came, everyone was startled far more than they have been on the first, for the simple reason that the sound tapered off at the end. While that happening could mean either she had simply passed out from the pain or she had been killed, and everyone prayed for the former, those that know her best, feared her stubbornness would prevent her from allowing herself to pass out from pain.

8:10

"The convoy," Kagura whispered in relief as they caught sight of the seemingly unharmed convoy just down the hill from their position. Urging her poor horse to go faster, Kagura sped down the hillside, leaving Suikotsu and the guards in her dust as she began calling out, "Ambassador Higurashi! I bring word from the West!"

Shaking his head at his partner, Suikotsu motioned for the guards with him to pick up the pace as he too began rushing down the hillside after her. He watched as Kagura caught up to the convoy and pulled her horse to a stop next to the Ambassador's carriage and could barely make out the command for the driver to halt. Having pulled up beside her, the guards a few paces behind him, he heard the tail end of her explaining about the other convoy.

"So we were sent by Inuyasha-sama to insure that you are still safe and have not suffered the same fate as the other convoy. Kagome will be pleased to hear you are both still in good health," Kagura told him with a relieved sigh, missing the slight look of disdain that marred his features. Suikotsu, however, caught it and gazed at the Ambassador in confusion before secretly taking a glance at the guards who seemed to be closing in around them. About to warn Kagura that something was off, he was stopped cold with the Ambassador's words.

"Do not worry about it, I assure you I will not have the same fate," he told them with, what Suikotsu could only imagine was, a smirk adorning his face, before turning his attention to his guards. "Kill them," he ordered before glancing forward and motioning for the driver to continue on. Confused, but not about to be killed without a fight, Kagura and Suikotsu pulled their weapons as they turned and defended themselves against the first wave of attacks.

"Kill the guards, we will deal with the Ambassador after!" Suikotsu instructed as he kicked a guard away from him and quickly pulled on the shuko just in time to defend himself from another guard's sword. Not exactly sure what was going on, but understanding these guards were attacking people working under Inuyasha-sama's authority, the West's guards quickly joined in the fight.

At the same time, a little ways away in the carriage, the Ambassador's wife stared out the back in utter confusion at her husband's actions. "Why did you do that? That girl was a friend of our daughter!" she reminded him as she turned to glare at her husband.

"It will not interfere with our plans seeing as Toga will simply believe they are escorting us, and our plan is all you need worry about," he told her as he turned to glare right back at his wife. "The West won't know that they are dead until it is too late. And I do not care who the girl was, and in fact her being a friend of Kagome's was even more reason to kill her. That daughter of ours is obviously no longer loyal to us.

"You need to just forget about Kagome, she is not with us, therefore she is against us!" he shouted at his wife, startling her with the venomousness in his voice, and unknowingly speaking loud enough that his words were carried back to the group fighting. Hearing their betrayal of her friend, Kagura vowed to kill both of them just as soon as she dealt with her current attackers. Though judging by the fact that their side was just down to Suikotsu, three of their guards and herself, while the other side had only lost a few guards, Kagura silently wondered if she would have the opportunity to kill them.

8:25

Inuyasha's face held a sneer as he continued to make his way toward his father's office, with what was left of his group following. He had been mad when he first heard Kagome's screams and headed toward the dungeon, but now he was far passed pissed. If everything his father had done so far wasn't bad enough, now he had given the guards specific orders not to allow anyone, especially himself, down there. He had actually told the guards to disobey a direct order from Inuyasha if it had anything to do with him or his teammates trying to enter the dungeon.

'He has gone way too far this time,' Inuyasha decided as he thrust open the door to his father's office, smirking ever so slightly as the loud bang it made when it reached the end of it's track startled his father. "This has gone on long enough, I demand you let me see her father!" Inuyasha insisted, ignoring the guards that were trying to surround him just in case he made a move to attack the Lord. Seeing this, and having nothing else to do in order to help him, his group members surrounded him, pulling out their weapons, and sent their own sneers toward the guards.

"Inuyasha have your team lower their weapons, I would have thought you had taught them better than to raise weapons against my guards," Toga insisted as he sent his son a disappointed look.

"Hold your positions," Inuyasha instructed his team, ignoring the shocked look on his father's face. "Your idiot guards just raised their weapons against a member of the royal family. My group is simply doing their job, unlike these morons," Inuyasha told him as he gestured to the guards around them. "And unlike the guards that you and my brother have trained, including one that was working with the assassins this morning, Kagome taught these guys how to do their jobs right. Now let me go see my second in command."

Deciding he would get no where with his son about the drawn weapons, Toga ignored them for now and figured it would be best to deal with the reason his son was here in the first place. "We will not be able to extract the truth from her if you or any other member of your team is down there protecting her."

"The truth? What truth? You don't give a damn about the truth, if you did she wouldn't be down there in the first place. You know damn well that she's already told Bankotsu everything she knows, which wouldn't be hard considering she knew nothing about the attacks, but you're just not listening. You don't want the truth, you just want someone to blame."

"What I want? No, what I want is to know who my youngest son is more loyal to, because truthfully, I am a bit unsure at this moment. So tell me, Inuyasha, who is it that you pledged your loyalty to? Your lord-father or a traitor!?" Toga demanded raising his voice to a loud bellow that seemingly shook the entire room.

"That goes without saying, my lord," Inuyasha began as he gave Toga a mock bow before righting himself and continuing, "Right now, at this very moment, I am loyal to her. She has never betrayed us and yet you are betraying her. Unlike you and my idiot brother, her loyalties have never once faltered." Having finished speaking, Inuyasha turned and began making his way out of the office with his group following him. Behind him, he could hear his father calling for him to come back, but decided to ignore him and continue on. "If you ignore my pleas, why should I listen to yours?" he whispered to himself sadly as his anger began to drain away, leaving him to feel worn and useless.

8:40

"Sesshoumaru-sama, you must calm down, at the very least, for the simple reason that there is nothing left for you to destroy," Jaken told him as he glanced around at the plies of rubble that littered the floor, all that was left of the once proud office. After a large piece of the desk had crashed through and throughly obliterated the door, he had decided Sesshoumaru's fit had gone on long enough.

"How can I calm down when she betrayed my father?!" Sesshoumaru bellowed as he turned and punched his fist through a nearby wall, causing pieces of wood and other debris to fly out from the impact and fall to the ground around him. As he pulled his bruised hand back out, he watched as a drop of blood ran down from his knuckle, leaving a wet, red trail in its wake.

Turning back around, he startled Jaken with the look of utter defeat that reflected in his eyes as he sunk to the ground and leaned back against the wall. Closing his eyes, he clenched his fist tighter, causing more drops of blood to seep from the wound before taking a deep, shaky breath. He was silent for a few minutes before finally opening his eyes and pinning Jaken with a look that begged him to understand.

"Do you not comprehend, Jaken? How can I be calm when the one woman, I would have given up everything for, has betrayed me?" His words were spoken in a broken whisper, but had a far greater impact on his advisor than they would have had, had he screamed them. Unable to do anything to help his lord at that moment, Jaken simply stood there in silence, gazing around at the destruction he had caused.

It wasn't long before Jaken realized that destroying the office hadn't just been a way for Sesshoumaru to let out his anger, it also symbolized just how broken the great man before him was. How the girl, currently being tortured in the dungeon below them, had shattered his heart. Unable to take out his pain on the one that had caused it, Sesshoumaru had instead opted to take it out on the objects in the room.

As he watched his lord seemingly sink further into despair, he couldn't help but wonder if it would do the man any good to bring in more objects for him to destroy. Hearing movement from Sesshoumaru, Jaken glanced back over at him to find him resting his head in the palm of his hand, as it in turn rested on his thigh. He was once again sitting in his custom crossed legs style, either unaware or uncaring that the bright, red blood that continued to seep from his wounds was staining his normally radiant, silver hair. Though to Jaken, it seemed the color had dulled a bit with his mood.

8:50-9:00

The air was eerily quiet, the battle having been won and the victors moved on, already long gone from the scene of destruction they left behind them. Ears strained to hear the sound of anyone, who may have stayed behind, breathing, before a sigh of relief was breathed at hearing nothing but silence. But it wasn't long before relief turned to sorrow and a long withheld sob escaped from quivering lips. Eyes, that had remained open, stared up into the cold, lifeless eyes of their savior.

"I will return and I swear you will have a proper burial," a trembling voice swore as a shaky hand was placed upon the cooling cheek of the one that had protected them, giving up their life in the process. "You have my word that they will pay for what they have done," the voice continued as a light kiss was placed on the forehead, before rolling the lifeless body over and glancing around to make sure there was indeed no one else around.

Seeing it was safe for now, a sneer was aimed in the direction the convoy had left in, before the area was glanced over once more, carefully not paying much attention to the surrounding death, as a horse was searched for. Figuring most of them to be dead, or taken by the guards, the hope that a horse trained to only listen to the commands of a member of Inuyasha-sama's team, might still be around, rose.

Hearing a noise from behind, eyes quickly spun around to find two horses grazing nearby. Unable to stop it, a soft smile graced the still trembling lips at the fact that not only did their own horse remain, but also the horse belonging to their partner. One last look was taken at the fallen comrade, before heading over toward the horses and quickly saddling up on one. Grabbing the reigns of the other, and signaling the horse to gallop, the two horses and rider began making their way back up the hillside.

It only took a few minutes for the three of them to arrive at the hilltop overlooking the battlefield and as they glanced down over it, the only living human began to cry. "I shall return Suikotsu," Kagura whispered, not caring that he couldn't hear her. "Wait for me," she pleaded as she bowed to her fallen comrade before turning her horse to the West and began racing toward home.

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

AN: See my profile for new poll...'Should there be lemons in We are Mates'?

The following takes place between 9pm and 10pm...

9:00

"I have already spoken the truth," Kagome replied, beginning to become annoyed as Bankotsu had started repeating the same question over and over, simply changing the wording a bit. Before he had the chance to speak, both their heads turn toward the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. Kagome glanced over at Bankotsu in question, but he merely shrugged his shoulders to her unasked question.

As they watched, Sesshoumaru's form came into view and Kagome's eyes shot up to his own. His golden eyes clearly conveyed his current disgust toward her, but that wasn't what worried her the most. No, what really plagued at her mind was the fact that he looked so worn out and tired. She had never seen him look that defeated in all of the time she had known him and it scared her that the change had occurred in just a few short hours. Kagome swallowed the gasped that threatened to spill from her lips as she caught sight of the dried blood that matted his silver hair.

The sight of the normally majestic man so broken was enough to cause a tear to form in the corner of Kagome's eye. Far more painful than the torture Bankotsu had been inflicting on her body. Licking her dry lips, Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat and opened her mouth to question him about his current state, but found words would not come out. After opening and closing her mouth a few times, she finally gave up trying and lowered her eyes to the floor.

"You should have just confessed to Bankotsu," Sesshoumaru told her, startling her and causing her to shoot her gaze up to him in disbelief. Kagome slowly shook her head, refusing to believe what she thought he was about to do, but the look full of hatred and anger quickly confirmed her suspicions. Kagome blinked once, twice, before shaking her head again, trying to dislodge the thought from her mind, hoping and praying that she was wrong.

But his glare never faltered, his stance never relaxed, the pain and determination she saw in his eyes never disappeared. "Sesshoumaru," Kagome began finally regaining the ability to speak, "if you do this, what I can see you are planning to do, I do not know if I shall ever be able to forgive you. Do not rush in on assumed betrayal alone for it is never enough to justify one's own betrayal. You will learn, I can assure you, the truth of this matter at some point and I pray that you do not do anything now in the heat of the moment that can not be undone then. I understand quite well what you believe me to have done, but as I am innocent of all charges, and this will be proved with time, do not set in stone now our downfall."

"Your forgiveness? For what reason should I be inclined to care about that? No, dear Kagome," Sesshoumaru began, spitting 'dear' as if the sound of it allow was enough to turn his stomach, "it is not your forgiveness that I seek, but your suffering for betraying the West. For betraying me. Claim all you wish to about your innocence, your lies shall not be heard. There is no doubt your parents are enemies to the West and thus are you. I do not believe a woman of your standing would betray her own parents and home for the sake of another's kingdom. And even if you did not partake in the treason yourself, your parents would have informed you of their plans and yet you chose not to warn the West. The lives that have been lost today are on your head."

"My home? You are quite mistaken Sesshoumaru, the East is not, nor has it ever been, my home. I was born here, I was raised here and I will die here. And you are wrong Sesshoumaru, there is much doubt to whether or not my parents had anything to do with the attack. Our only lead is the words of a single, injured guard. I understand that you and Lord Toga feel hurt, feel betrayed by me and it has clouded your judgment. In time, you will see the error of your ways and I pray that you do not cause yourself unnecessary regret by acting irrationally now. And I hope, more than anything, that you do not injury my ability to love you. We do not have much time together, Sesshoumaru. Stop this madness now before we lose what little time we should have left."

Instead of answering her, Sesshoumaru reached over to take a hold of the knife Bankotsu was still holding. Glancing down at it, as he turned the blade in his hand, he watched as drops of Kagome's still wet blood, dripped down into the handle. "Is this really a good idea?" Bankotsu questioned, shattering the silence that had settled over the room, as he glanced from Sesshoumaru to Kagome. Sesshoumaru ignored his question while Kagome closed her eyes and breathed in a deep breath.

"Leave," Sesshoumaru commanded after a moment, not sparing a glance in Bankotsu's direction, but instead looking over at Kagome's resigned form. Moving closer to her, Sesshoumaru took in her battered body, covered in various cuts and bruises on all exposed skin. Even in some places, where the clothing still clung to her sweat covered body, he could see lines of dark, red blood across her skin.

"You are right about one thing though, Sesshoumaru," Kagome began as she opened her eyes and stared straight into his, "the lives lost are on my head. Not because I have had anything to do with the attacks, but because if my parents do have anything to do with today, I failed in my job. If their betrayal is true, I saw nothing. What kind of a guard am I if my own parents are traitors right under my nose and I have not a single indication."

9:15

"We are not doing enough!" Inuyasha screamed causing his team members to jump at the sound. "Those idiots guards are still in their courters! They've got to be taking their sweet time just because they know we want to get in there. And just doing surveillance is obviously not working! Damn it, I need Kagome! She would know what to do rather than standing around getting nothing accomplished!" Inuyasha screeched before plopping himself back down behind his desk with a resigned sigh.

"Hopefully the others will return soon, we need more man power," Miroku commented causing everyone to glance over at him in question. "If we had more of our team here, we could afford to chance sending some of them into the Ambassador's courters with the guards still there. But as things stand now, we don't have the numbers to lose even one more. Not with only us still here on duty," Miroku explained as he gestured to the others in the room around him. Of the original ten members of the group only Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Jakotsu were currently meeting in the office.

"The problem is we have no idea when they will return and it is doubtful that they will have met up with the convoy and will have nothing to work in Kagome's defense. And either way, no matter how many people we have, without a way to prove her innocence, we are screwed." As Inuyasha stopped speaking, the office door slid open and they glanced up to find Bankotsu entering the room. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Kagome?" Inuyasha inquired, asking the questions on everyone's mind.

Bankotsu held his gaze for a few moments before sighing and allowing his shoulders to drop. "You are not going to like this," he began before turning to glance at everyone in the room in turn before ending back at Inuyasha. "I was just releaved of my post by Sesshoumaru-sama, who has taken over. When I left, he was about ready to take over where I had left off."

"Don't you mean Sesshoumaru is supervising somebody else doing it? There's no way Sesshoumaru would be down there torturing her himself..." Inuyasha insisted only to have Bankotsu shake his head in response. "What the hell is wrong with me brother?!" Inuyasha screamed before pounding his fist down on the desk, which creaked and threatened to break under the force.

"Isn't there something we can do to stop him? Poor Kagome," Sango said whispering that last part more to herself than to the others in the room.

"No, unfortunately there's not. The only way to overrule him is to go through my father and he sure as hell isn't listening to reason right now. The only thing we can do is prove her innocence. Alright, new plan," Inuyasha decided after thinking to himself for a few moments. "Sango you and Miroku go over the minutes from the meetings today as well as Kagome's debriefs. Look for anything we may have missed or overlooked. Also get Bankotsu's notes on the tortures. Just maybe there's something in them that can help.

"Jakotsu you are to head over to the Ambassador's courters and keep me appraised of what is going on there. Keep out of sight and if you hear anything relevant inform me immediately. No matter how small. Anything on Kagome, her parents, the convoy, hell even rumors the guards are spreading. If it bares on this, I want to know it. As well as everything they find. Be is a piece of clothing or writing in the Ambassador's hand. I want to know everything they know.

"Bankotsu try to get back into, or at least close to, the dungeon and keep an eye on Sesshoumaru. If he makes one wrong move, it may give me the ammunition I need to convince my father to pull him out of there. If the guards give you a hard time trying to get down there, let me know and I will deal with it. You all have your assignments, you are dismissed," Inuyasha informed them and watched as they each bowed before making their way out of the office. Once the door was closed behind them, Inuyasha laid his head on his desk heaving a sigh of frustration.

9:25

Another attempt at a meeting with his advisors was put on hold as Toga got lost in thought. His three advisors looked at each other, unsure if they should draw his attention back to them or just wait it out. But before they had the chance to decide, he startled them by speaking. "Is this truly the right thing to do?" he questioned as he glanced over at them only to receive looks of confusion.

"With Kagome, I mean. Is this really the right way to handle this? I am condoning the torture of a woman. A woman who is the best guard this kingdom has, who has risked her life many times in order to protect a member of my family. And yet she has been arrested and tortured. Am I doing the right thing? "

"Of course you are, my lord. Do not doubt your decision, a traitor belongs in the dungeon, no matter their past actions. It was probably all a ploy in the first place in order to gain the kingdom's trust," Hosenki insisted, ignoring how Myoga rolled his eyes at him.

"I do not agree, my lord. Past actions very much do count in regards to a person's character. No traitor would genuinely risk their life that many times just as a ploy. She could have much more easily pretended to be a 'lady' and would not be experiencing the pain she is now. It is no secret that you would not condone the torture of a 'lady', If would have made much more sense for her to stay in the shadows if she was a traitor, rather than being at the front line. And if it was true that she was a traitor, why in Kami's name, would she have saved your life this morning?" Myoga inquired passionately.

"Whether she is a traitor or not, really is not the question, my lord. As harsh as it may sound, no matter the consequences to one girl, you must do what is best for the kingdom. With all that is currently at stake, you can not take any chances. You must think of her only as anyone who has been named as a traitor and treat her accordingly," Totosai insisted.

Toga remained quiet for a few minutes before finally shaking his head. "I do not think I can do that. I have thought of Kagome as the daughter I never had all her life and doubt I could see her as just a random person who has been arrested as a traitor."

"My lord, you must remember that the girl is from the East, she is not one of us and I have told you since the beginning that, even if you can trust Lord Menomaru, it does not necessarily mean you can trust all of those from the East," Hosenki told him, ignoring the annoyed looks he received from the other two advisors.

"No, you are wrong, Hosenki. Kagome was born here. She is as much one of us as you are. That is what makes this so hard. Kagome is not just some random person such as the would be assassins from today. Kagome is a daughter of this kingdom."

9:35

"Enough!" Kagome shouted only to have the tale end of the word drown out by an ear piercing scream. As her scream tapered off, Kagome took a couple of deep breathes before turning her gaze back to Sesshoumaru's blazing eyes. "Just stop, Sesshoumaru. Please stop," Kagome begged, not caring how weak it made her sound, only wishing to put an end to both the physical and emotional pain he was inflicting upon her tired body.

"And would you have stopped had my father begged you not to take his life?" Sesshoumaru questioned before making another deep cut into her arm, wrenching another scream from her lips. Kagome's head made a loud 'bang' as it was thrown back against the back of the chair during the scream causing the entire thing to shake under the assault.

"I did not betray you or your father!" Kagome screamed back at him as he pulled the knife back out roughly, causing the blood to pour freely from her wound. The fresh wound went unnoticed as all others before it did, by the two occupants in the room. As the blood pooled on a previously clean patch of clothing, Kagome felt herself becoming dizzy and fought to keep consciousness.

"You think I should believe that you would turn against your own parents for our sake? Surely you do not think me that idiotic. I told you before Kagome, your lies shall go unheard so save your breath," he instructed before stabbing the knife into her other arm, masking the flinch that her scream caused. Though since she had squeezed her eyes shut, she would not have been able to see it anyways.

"Would I betray my family for this kingdom? How the hell should I know?! I've never had to choose! I've never had to decide which was more important to me, but you know what Sesshoumaru, I may not know who I would choose between my parents and this kingdom, but if the choice was between you and my family, there's no question. I would choose you without ever even thinking about the alternative! After all this time, you should know that! I would have thought it was the same for you!

"Sesshoumaru, even if my parents had something to do with the events of today, I knew nothing about it. Think about it, Sesshoumaru, why would I have stayed if I was a traitor to the West, why would I have stayed to be put through this?! If I was a traitor, I would have left this morning with my parents and left your father to die!" Kagome screamed at him, ignoring the tears that were now making their way down her cheeks, turning to tears of blood as they flowed over her wounds.

"For all we know it was all part of your plan to destroy the West..." Sesshoumaru began only to be cut off when Kagome screamed again, this time out of frustration rather than pain. Shaking her head to try and clear the dizziness, and only making it worse, Kagome drew in a deep breath before she screamed out her anger and pain.

"I stayed because I didn't want to be away from you! Just as I have stayed home on this day every year since we started," Kagome whispered the last part as she closed her eyes and allowed the tears to flow freely from her eyes. "I would sooner give up my own life before I betrayed Lord Toga and all he has done for me," Kagome continued as she opened her eyes and pinned Sesshoumaru with a tear-streaked glare. "I would give my very soul before I would ever betray you. I love you Sesshoumaru, more than anything in this world or the next. And I would never do anything to hurt you!"

9:50-10:00

"What's that?" Hachi questioned as he pointed off into the distance at a blur that seemed to be heading their way. Confused, Kirara followed his line of sight to try and spot what he was referring to. After a few moments of squinting, Kirara gasped before urging her horses to go faster in the direction of the blur.

"It's Kagura!" she called back over her shoulder, not bothering to wait to see if Hachi was following her. "Somethings wrong, she shouldn't be heading in this direction!" she continued worried, knowing without any real proof that something was wrong. There was no good reason Kirara could think of that would cause Kagura to travel the wrong way and that thought had chilled her to the bone.

"How can she tell that's Kagura?" Hachi wondered out loud to himself as he continued to stare at the small blur, barely able to make out the fact that it was a person riding a horse. Seeing Kirara was getting far away from him, Hachi urged his horse to go faster as he called out, "How can you tell it's her? It might just be someone passing by this way."

"There's a reason why I am the lookout of the team, I have the best eyes!" Kirara called back over her shoulder as she kept her eyes trained on the approaching figure. "Both the horses with her carry the colors of Inuyasha-sama's team, and I can just make out that it's a woman. There's no other woman out here that would be able to ride those horses than her. But..." Kirara paused as she looked back and forth between the two horses in confusion.

"What is it?" Hachi questioned as he caught up with her as she stopped her horse. Concerned, he glanced up at her face and watched as her eyes grew large in horror and realization. "Kirara what is it? What do you see that has you about to cry?"

"It's not what I see Hachi, it's what I don't see. There is only one rider for two horses. There is no logical reason, or even an illogical reason, for her to have both horses unless there is no longer a second rider. We are too late, they have already met up with the convoy and learned the truth," Kirara predicted before throwing the reigns of her second horse back to Hachi and urging the one she was currently riding toward the incoming rider.

Behind her, Hachi glanced down at the extra horse he was now in charge of before shrugging and looking back over at Kirara's shrinking back. Unable to go at her speed with three horses to deal with, he began following after her at a much slower pace. Behind him the horses whined at being so close to each other, but he thought it would be a bad idea to release them just in case they were needed still.

"Kagura!" Kirara called out as she got close enough to fully make out the older woman's form. Hearing her voice, Kagura's head shot up in her direction, feeling a few wet tears slid down her cheeks. Whether it was out of relief that she met up with allies or because, as Kirara got closer, she could see the understanding in her eyes. Glancing back at the horse she was pulling behind her, Kagura took a deep breath, forcing back the tears, before turning back around and hurrying to meet up with her team mate.

"We must hurry back and inform Inuyasha-sama, I have news he's not going to believe. I know who was behind the attack on the convoy," Kagura explained watching as Kirara turned her horse around and fell in line with her.

"We already know Ambassador Higurashi was behind the attack, the injured guard informed Lord Toga. Kagome's been arrested as a traitor and as we left I heard one of the guards speaking of readying the dungeon for an interrogator. I would not be surprised if Bankotsu, or perhaps someone worse, was with her as we speak."

"Kagome was arrested?!" Kagura demanded as she turned to stare at Kirara in disbelief. "Kagome had nothing to do with the attacks, I heard it from the Ambassador's own mouth. We must hurry and pray we are not too late," Kagura told them as she urged her horse to go as fast as it could, practically leaving the other two in the dust. As Kirara took back the reigns from her second horse, her and Hachi both pushed their horses to catch up to her.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

AN: Sorry this chapter took so long, I had problems not crying while writing it and had to keep stopping lol.

The following takes place between10pm and 11pm...

10:00

With only the light of the pale moon to lead them, the convoy continued across the land on its journey to the East. Overhead, a group of bandits lay shadowed in the darkness from a vantage point on the hillside that the light could not reach. Each stood silent with baited breath as they waited for their leader to give the signal to attack the encroaching convoy. Said leader, ignored all else around him except for the faint sounds rising from the convoy below.

He watched as they crossed the threshold he had designated the point of attack and glanced across to the hillside on the other side of the convoy, where the remainder of his men were waiting. Seeing both sides were prepped and ready to go, he gave the call of a night bird and watched as his men began galloping down toward the convoy on all sides. Taking up the rear, he too began making his way toward where the convoy was now in the midst of battle.

All around him shouts came from both sides. Guards yelled out to protect the Ambassador. The Ambassador ordered the death of the bandits post haste. His wife screamed repeatedly even though there was no one currently attacking her. The bandits called out orders to kill the guards first and to ignore the Ambassador for now. Others joked about the weaknesses of women in battle. Only the bandit's leader remained silent as he fought, all the while, taking in what was going on around him.

As the first man on each side falls, those remaining begin to fight with renewed vigor. The sounds of swords clashing echo in the valley around them. The almost deafening sound shakes the concentration of both sides and proves fatal for some, though most are able to fight through it, succeeding in only making the sound that much louder. Almost as though, the louder the sound gets, the harder they struggle to fight through it, locking them into an endless cycle.

10:05

"Open the gate! I bring word from the West!" the messenger called out to the guards posted above the gate as he finally arrived at his destination. Seeing the guards simply stare at him, showing no indication of opening the gate, the messenger fought the urge to roll his eyes and pulled the message he carried out from the hidden depths of his clothing. Making sure they could clearly see the seal of Lord Toga upon the message, he held it up for them to inspect and waited for them to do their job.

After what seemed like forever, having nothing to do but watch them converse with each other, one of the guards gave the signal to open the gate. Deciding not to let the message be delayed any further, the messenger flew past the guards stationed at the bottom of the gate and dismounted his horse before it had stopped completely. Leaving the animal to the guards, the messenger rushed into the kingdom and began making his way to the receiving room.

As he rushed through the halls, instead of concentrating on what was around him, since he had been here enough times to know it all by heart, he tried to determine just how many times it had been. It was not long before he realized his ill education prevented him from coming up with the correct answer, but he paid the fact little mind. It did not matter how many times he had stepped foot within the Eastern kingdom or how many times he may do so in the future, it did not seem likely that the guards would ever let him pass without incident.

As he reached the doors of the receiving room, he held up the sealed message for inspection and was granted entrance. As he entered the room, he was greeted by both Lord Menomaru and his son, Kouga. Bowing before them, he held out the message and waited for the lord to retrieve it. Lord Menomaru broke the seal and began to silently read its contents. It wasn't long before Kouga began to grow restless. "Well what does it say, father?"

"It is not good I am afraid. There has been an attack," Menomaru replied before handing the message over to his son before turning his attention to a nearby guard. "Have my fastest messenger sent to me immediately," he instructed before quickly dismissing the guard.

Glancing down at the scroll, Kouga began reading out loud, " 'Lord Menomaru,

I regret to inform you that there has been an attack on Ambassador Torikkusuta's convoy, all save for one guard have passed into the next life. He is currently in critical condition and the doctor is not optimistic. We shall be sending a guard detail to check on Ambassador Higurashi's convoy, but I am confident that they remain unharmed.

Torikkusuta's convoy was nowhere near Higurashi's and there is no reason to believe the attack was anything more than done by a group of bandits at the moment, but rest assured, we are looking into it. I am unaware if you have heard word yet, but there was attempts on my life this morning. And though they have failed and those responsible, though not who hired them, have been apprehended, these attacks and that of the convoy coincide too closely for me to truly believe they are not linked.

I shall send you further word once we hear back from the party heading out to check on Ambassador Higurashi. I wish I had more to tell you at this moment, but I am afraid you know know all that I do on this matter. Be well.

Lord Toga.' There is something I do not understand, father. Would the guard have not be closer to the East? Why would travel the distance left to the West when it should have taken far less time to return here?" Kouga inquired after rereading the message for the second time.

"I do not know. Perhaps he simply did not realize the East was still closer, or maybe it no longer was. Perhaps he simply returned to his home kingdom. I will send word to Lord Toga and inquire about this, but fear not my son, I doubt his reasons had anything negative to do with the East," Menomaru assured him as his messenger finally arrived and bowed before him. "You are welcome to seek lodging for the night and return to the West in the morning.

"While you are safe within these walls, the same can not be said outside of them. You are of course free to leave tonight if that is what you wish, I simply would not recommend it," Menomaru told the messenger from the West before turning his attention to his own. The messenger bowed once again before turning and making his way out of the room. Behind him, he could hear the lord inform his son to begin preparations to meet up with the remaining convoy..

10:20

"Enter," Inuyasha called out after there was a knock at his office door. As the shoji door slide open, a guard entered as he was bade and moved to stand in front of Inuyasha. Bowing, he waited for him to speak. "How are the preparations going for getting the army ready to move?" Inuyasha questioned without looking up from his desk.

"It will still be some time, my lord. We are having to call in off duty personal to meet the numbers you requested without having to leave the West undefended. Perhaps if we take less men with us, we can lessen the time required greatly," the guard suggested to him.

"No, we have no way of knowing if anyone else is behind this and as much as I may not want to believe it, there is always a chance Lord Menomaru is backing his Ambassador. At the very least he may have already moved to secure their passage home and there is no way to tell if we would be able to prove to him their involvement in a timely manner.

"At the very least, bringing a large army will quickly assure him of our seriousness in this matter. Try to speed up the process in any way you can. My father will not be happy to hear it will take so long. If you need help, speak to my brother's advisor Jaken. If the men think that my brother is involved and likely to be angered, they may work faster in getting ready. Use whatever means necessary to move things along," Inuyasha instructed before waving his hand to dismiss the guard, never having once looked up from his desk.

Closing the door behind him, the guard began making his way down the hall toward Sesshoumaru's office, deciding that would be the best place to began searching for the advisor. Around him, the halls were mostly quiet, other than an occasional guard or two passing by. Most of the kingdom's servants and civilians had long since retired to sleep, leaving only those that were currently on duty, or guards, still awake.

As he arrived at Sesshoumaru's office, he noticed there were no guards posted outside of the door as there normally was, but upon first inspection of the room, he quickly understood why. Sesshoumaru was not currently in his office and the guards were more than likely where ever he was at the moment. Though the man he was searching for was in fact in the room, cleaning up what was left of a destroyed office. "Advisor Jaken," the guard called out, startling the small man and causing him to jump.

"What is it you want?" Jaken demanded as he turned to glare at the guard standing in the doorway before bending over to pick up the splintered piece of wood he had dropped.

"I have come to ask for your assistance. I have been charged with getting the army ready to move on the convoy and it is taking longer than Inuyasha-sama would prefer. I was wondering if you could perhaps help to motivate the guards to move faster," the guard explained and watched as one of Jaken's eyebrows raised in question, a gesture he had no doubt picked up from Sesshoumaru.

"As you can no doubt see for yourself, I am quite busy at this moment. Perhaps you can tell me why it is I that you have searched out in order to help you with your own assignment. Why should I be inclined to help you with your duty when I have my own to see to?" Jaken questioned as he tossed the piece of wood into an ever growing pile in one corner of the room and resumed cleaning.

"Inuyasha-sama suggested it. He thought perhaps if the guards believe Sesshoumaru-sama is watching and likely to be angered by their slow pace, they maybe more inclined to work faster. The guards know that having you there is just as if Sesshoumaru-sama himself were there as you speak his orders."

"Very well. Instruct a few of the still awake servants to come take over for me here and I will do as you suggest. And no doubt Inuyasha-sama's theory will prove to be correct," Jaken replied as he tossed another handful of debris into the pile and went back for another.

10:30

Sesshoumaru stood staring at her bruised and bloodied unconscious form for a few moments before dismissing the pang of regret that echoed in his heart. He took a few deep, calming breaths before steeling himself for what was to come. Grabbing the bucket of ice cold water he kept on hand, he unceremoniously dumped the contents over her head. The result was instantaneous.

As the frigid water hit her face, Kagome was jolted awake, a scream piercing her tired lungs. Sesshoumaru remained unmoved by the sound and just waited patiently for her to regain control of herself. As her racing heart finally began to slow, Kagome glared at him through her water soaked eye lashes, but the gesture had little effect on the man towering over her.

"Why, why after everything we have done for you, do you betray us? Did the West and her people mean so little to you that you care not for their fate? Or did you never care for any of us from the start? Answer me, why did you betray me?" Sesshoumaru demanded in a soft, cold voice that sent chills racing down Kagome's spine.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Kagome ignored the pain his tone created deep inside of her and took a deep, painful breath. "The better question, Sesshoumaru, would be why you are betraying me. Whatever you chose to believe aside, it will remain true that I have had not to do with what has happened this day, nor did I acquire knowledge that it was to be, before hand. You will eventually come to know this as the truth it is, but I fear by then it will be far too late.

"As I have told you many times, I would never do anything that could lead to your harm, sadly it would seem, the same can not be said for you. You ask if I care not for the people of the West, but yet, I am one of them, one of you. I was born here Sesshoumaru, this is my home. The only home I have ever known, will ever know. What effects the West, effects me. Why would I do anything that would harm myself. Even if you can not believe my words, my oath that I would never harm you, you must at least understand the logic in these words.

"Forget who I am, what we are, forget everything you have ever know about me, see me not as Kagome, the girl you fell in love with, simply see me for what I am at the very bottom of my soul, of my being. I am a simple girl of this land. The East is not my home, not of my birth, nor of my life. It's lord is not mine, Lord Toga is my only lord. The late lady, my only lady. And one day when you become lord, even with the pain it will pierce into my heart knowing I can no longer stay by your side, I will bow at your feet and swear the same oath I swore to your father and mother." Kagome swore to him, unable to prevent a few stay tears from coursing a path down her cheeks.

"You should know Sesshoumaru, above all else, at the end of this day I may not be able to still love you, but my loyalty to you and to this land will not change. Even if I was to die this day, I would die with the West still burned into my heart. What saddens me the most, is that out of the three men I have sworn my loyalty to, swore to lay my life down for theirs without a single thought for myself, Inuyasha is the only one to show he has true loyalty to me. The only one who really seems to know who and what I am.

"Lord Toga I can understand, he can't take the chance, but you Sesshoumaru, how can you not have faith in me? How can you be so wrong about the kind of person I am after everything we've been through, everything we mean to each other? How can you know me so little? You asked me if I never really cared, now I must ask you the same. All of these years, Sesshoumaru, have you ever once loved me as you have always claimed? Because I don't understand, how can you love me, when you don't even know me?" Kagome demanded, pinning him with a pain look through the river of tears that was now flowing freely from her eyes.

"You think I do not wish to believe you? I can think of no greater thing then the knowledge that these years have not all been nothing more than a lie. My heart screams, it begs me to stop, to wrap you in my arms and never let you go. But my head Kagome, my head, my mind refuses. You said you thought it was the same for me, that I would chose you above all else, but you were wrong Kagome. No matter how much I love you, how much your existence is what I live and breath, I could never choose you over the West, I have too much responsibility to our people and to my family.

"You wish me to believe that you would chose me over your parents, and my heart, my heart knows this Kagome, but my mind does not, because it is not what I would do, and our minds are very much alike. You think it is painful to be tortured by the man you love? It pales in comparison to the torture I am experiencing, I assure you. For every cut you feel, I feel. Every drop of blood you lose, I lose. Every tear, every scream, ever painful breath, it tears me apart more than because it is you being hurt, but because it is me hurting you.

"But I can not allow another to take my place, for only if it is me in this room with you, shall I never have doubts of you again. For I will know that everything that could have been done, had been done, every truth or lie there was to be found, was found. But if it is someone else, I will always fear that something was overlooked. Something was missed. I can not, I refuse to spend what little time we have left together fearing a knife in my back when ever I turn around. As much as the thought of losing you completely kills me, I could not live if I could not trust you for the rest of our lives.

"I can not and I will not, take that chance. When this is over, I will be as certain of your loyalty as I was last night. Even if it means I must lose your love, even if it means I will continue to love you to the day I die, no matter who I marry, even if you hate me for the rest of your life. There is one thing you should know Kagome, though I could never chose to spend my life with you over the welfare of this Kingdom, know this, if you were to die this day, you would not die alone."

Sesshoumaru watched for a moment as Kagome's eyes grew large at the realization, before turning around and unlocking the cell door behind him. After passing across the threshold, he locked it once again and began making his way down the hallway. When he was about half way between the exit and her cell, Sesshoumaru fell to his knees and allowed the tears he had been fighting back for hours to finally fall.

Back in the cell, Kagome bowed her head as she began crying once again, making no attempts to stop them. It was not long before her heart breaking sobs echoed around the small room, creating a sad, haunting melody.

10:45

"Enter!" Toga called out after a soft was heard at his office door. Though he was slightly annoyed at being interrupted once again, he was well past used to it and was able to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Glancing up from the scroll he had been trying to read, without much luck as he had continued to read the same line over and over again with his thoughts occupied with other matters, Toga watched as Myoga slowly made his way into the room.

"My lord, forgive the interruption, but it has been completed and I am unsure of what you wish for me to do with it," Myoga explained, mentally complaining that he had drawn the short straw to see which of the three advisors would be unfortunate enough to have to bring the item he held in his hand to Lord Toga.

"Of what do you speak, Myoga?" Toga questioned, glancing at his advisor in confusion. Instead of answering, Myoga merely opened his hand and a small medal became visible. "For Kagome?" Toga inquired after a few moments, though he already knew the answer. Myoga nodded slowly, deciding it would not be a good idea to speak at the moment. Toga sighed as he closed his eyes, annoyed at himself, whether for having forgotten about the medal or what she had done to earn it, he was not sure. But either way, it seemed to matter little now.

"Throw it away," Toga finally instructed before turning his attention back to the scroll in front of him. Myoga stared at him in question for a few moments before shrugging and doing as he was told. After he was done, he bowed and left the room without waiting to be dismissed. Toga waited until he heard his office door close behind the advisor before glancing down into the small trash barrel that stood next to his desk.

The small medal sparkled in the dim candle light, as he stared down at it, unable to do anything else for the moment. "Why Kagome? Why has it come to this? How can everything I am scream of your innocence, yet the evidence says otherwise? Could I really have been so wrong about you, or am I wrong now?" Turning away from the medal, Toga glanced over at the large painting hanging on the wall across from his desk.

"My love, I need you at my side now more than ever. I do not know what is right anymore. That beautiful little girl you brought into this world is sitting down in our dungeon being tortured by our own son. How your words of wisdom would mean so much at this moment. You would know what to do, as you always did. But I fear I am making a grave mistake, one I can not avoid. I can not bear her to suffer through this, yet I can not chance the suffering of our kingdom by releasing her.

"Please tell me, my love, what it is you would do? Would you listen to your heart that tells you she is the loyal girl you've always thought of as a daughter or would you listen to your mind that fears her betrayal? I worry that is all it is, fear, fear that I have been hurt by someone I consider family. Am I really that weak? Would I really doom that girl simply out of fear? Tell me I am a better man than that, my love. How I wish you were here, I do not know if I can face this day without you by my side."

Receiving no response from the painting, just as he knew he would not, Toga turned his attention back the medal. Reaching his hand into the trash barrel, he closed his fingers around the small object and brought it closer for an inspection. Etched into the front was the word 'bravery' and on the back was her name. Shaking his head, Toga placed the medal in his desk before turning his attention once again back to the scroll in front of him.

10:55-11:00

Sango glanced up from the documents in front of her as the door opened to reveal Bankotsu. "What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be watching over Sesshoumaru-sama?" she inquired confused as Bankotsu closed the door behind him and made his way into the room.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is currently taking a break, so I have come to do the same. I have already informed Inuyasha-sama. I will return soon," Bankotsu explained before sitting down next to Miroku and picking up a scroll he had yet to read. "Figured you two could use a bit of help."

"What we need is a way to prove her innocence, but I do not see how we will be able to do that with the minutes. Everything within these pages we had already known. How is she doing, Bankotsu?" Sango questioned changing the subject.

"The wounds I inflicted upon her were nothing compared to Sesshoumaru-sama torturing her. I am unsure if Kagome will ever be able to get over it, let alone forgive him. As long as it was me down there, she understood I was simply doing my job, she promised not to hold it against me, but I doubt she can do the same for him. I do not know which is worse, her having to be tortured by him or him having to torture her."

"That should be obvious, he has a choice, she does not. How can the pain he's going through, if any, even be compared to what Kagome is going through?" Sango demanded as she stared at Bankotsu in confusion.

"Sango, have you ever seen Sesshoumaru-sama cry?" Bankotsu inquired, ignoring her question. After a moment, both Sango and Miroku shook their heads. "Before today, neither had I. When I said he was taking a break, I suppose I should have said that he was unable to go on at this moment. He is in pain too, I assure you."

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

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The following takes place between 11pm and 12am...

11:00

Kagome glanced up as she began to hear the soft footfalls coming down the hallway toward her cell. Sure she already knew who it was, Kagome decided not to care about how red her eyes were sure to be and simply waited silently for him to arrive. It was not long before she was staring at him through the bars as he unlocked the cell door and reentered the room. She continued to remain silent as he locked the cell once again and turned to face her. "Time for round two already?" Kagome inquired sarcastically.

Sesshoumaru ignored her question as he pulled out the torture kit, taking out a knife Kagome's body knew very well. "Who is your father working for? Who does his loyalty lie with? Whom does yours? Why did your father attack the convoy?" Sesshoumaru questioned causing Kagome's eyebrows to raise in confusion. She wondered briefly if the stress had finally gotten to him causing him to forget they had already been over these questions, but then it dawned on her that it had been Bankotsu that had asked them and not Sesshoumaru.

'Perhaps the stress is getting to me,' Kagome suggested mentally before turning her attention back to Sesshoumaru. "As the Ambassador from the East, it stands to reason, that my father both works for and is loyal to the East, just as he should be. I on the other hand am loyal to the West as this is my home. And my father did not attack the convoy. There is absolutely no reason for him to have and no proof that he is a traitor. And he would have to be one since he would be betraying the East by such an act.

"He may not be loyal to the West, but he most certainly is to the East. There is no way my father would have anything to do with the attack, the guard was mistaken. Nor is there any reason for you to even think I would have anything to do with something like this. Only my exemplary record stating that I wouldn't."

"What did your father stand to gain by killing the Western Ambassador? Who ordered the hit? Did the attacks this morning on Lord Toga have any connection?" Sesshoumaru demanded, punctuating each question with a cut to her arms. Kagome bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out, more to prevent further aggravating her already raw throat rather than in stubbornness.

"Absolutely nothing and I have no idea," Kagome finally answered after the wave of pain had washed over her. "And while I don't know if there was really any connection, my gut says yes. It would be too much of a coincidence for both to happen on the same day if there was no connection."

"What does your father intend to do from here? Have you sent him word that we know of his betrayal? When the army finally leaves and meets up with them, will they be walking into an ambush? What was the reason your father betrayed us?"

"Well seeing as my father doesn't even know what has happened, he's heading to the East as he is supposed to do. I was arrested right after the guard spoke to all of us and I have been far too busy since before dawn to even have the chance to breath. Even if there was any reason for me to warn anyone of anything, when in the hell was I supposed to have time to have done so? When the army meets up with them, all they are going to find is a very confused Ambassador.

"Now I tire of you asking the same questions over and over, doing little more than simply rewording them. If you have any new questions, and will actually listen to my answers, since you haven't been so far, feel free to ask. Otherwise, this conversation is over," Kagome decided, figuring working with him wasn't really helping any, might as well try working against him.

"There are ways of making you talk," Sesshoumaru warned and Kagome stared at him for a moment before shaking her head and turned slightly to stare at a nearby wall, completely ignoring the man in front of her. After a few moments of tense silence, Sesshoumaru turned and began making his way out of the cell again. Where he was going, or for what reason, Kagome was sure she would find out soon enough whether she wanted to or not.

11:10

"Pick up the pace back there," Kagura called over her shoulder even though the tired horses were already traveling as fast as they could go. "The longer we take the more time they have to torture her," she reminded them as if they needed to be.

"They will have far more time to torture her if we are to kill our horses before they can get us home, Kagura. I know you wish to save her from pain, as we all do, but you must not let your worry stand before your common sense. Your horses especially are over worked and tired, they are not going to make it home if you push them any harder than you already are," Kirara warned her in a soft, but firm tone.

Kagura glared at her over her shoulder for a few moments before allowing her horses to slow down a notch. "You better be happy with that, we can't afford to even slow down this much and you forget that these horses are trained for the work we put them through."

"I have not forgotten Kagura, but at the very least, I doubt those two horses have gotten much, if any, rest since you left earlier today and we still have a ways to go before we reach home. And a few extra minutes of torture is better than hours, if not days if we are unable to travel by horse."

11:15

Lord Toga paced around in his office ignoring the knocks at his door. Already knowing who it was and being in no mood to speak to them, he found it better to simply ignore them in hopes they would soon go away. "I am torn," he began out loud to himself. "Should I feel anger and hatred toward the girl that has betrayed us all or should I just be sad that we have lost a girl I truly wish would one day become my daughter-in-law? Was she ever really ours to lose? I can not believe that she has lead us on all these years, but if not, where was her turning point?

"And for that matter, when was her parents? Kagome aside, why has the Ambassador betrayed us? I do not believe for a single moment that the East has taken any part in this, but nor can I think of a reason for Higurashi to have. And is it just us that they have betrayed or did they turn their backs on the East as well? Do they think they are doing what is in the East's best interest? I find myself with far too many questions and no answers.

"And I wonder if we will ever learn the truth as to why it has become like this. What I really do not understand is why they attacked the convoy. What could they possibly hope to gain from killing innocent people? If they wished to wound the West, I would be the prime target followed by my sons, there is no reason to have attacked our Ambassador. There is nothing to be gained for anyone with his death.

"And I do not believe their goal was for me to send my army out to avenge the Ambassador, for attacking the convoy so close to the East, it was unlikely that we would have even learned about it until they were home. Perhaps they wished for the East to have learned about it first and gone out to protect them, but the guard ruined their plans. That guard, it all comes back to him. Why did he travel West, when he was still so close to the East? Did he perhaps think the East might be behind it or simply did not want to take the chance?

"Was the attempts made on my life this morning some how connected? If so how? Did they simply wish to distract us from the attack on the convoy or was the convoy a distraction when they learned their first attempts did not work? And if so, how did they hear of the failure so quickly? Did Kagome some how get word out to them or is there perhaps yet another traitor in our mitts?" Toga's interrogation of himself was cut short when the knocks began at his door again.

"Go away!" he screamed as he turned to face the door and could hear feet scurrying away from his office. With a satisfied smirk, he went back to his pacing.

11:20

The guards watched confused as the heir to the West continued to pace before them. Every so often he would reach for the door to the dungeon only to shake his head and pull his hand back. The guards were torn between reporting his apparent insanity and getting a good laugh at his expense, though the urge to laugh was winning.

As they continued to watch, he raised his hand once again only to pull it back at the last second and go back to pacing. They did their best to hide their smiles, but it was unnecessary as he was to preoccupied to notice. Within his own mind, Sesshoumaru was currently having an internal debate. On one side, the side of him that thought as the heir to the West, demanded he go back into the dungeon and continue interrogating the prisoner. The other side, the side that thought as a man, couldn't bare to enter her cell again.

Knowing what he would have to do to her already broken body, he refused to take a single step in her direction. The heir in him argued that she was a traitor and that the kingdom was in danger as long as she held onto her secrets. The man in him countered that she would die before betraying the West and that there was no secrets to be uncovered. The heir screamed that he had an obligation to protect the West and the man persisted that he had an obligation to protect the woman he loves.

Sesshoumaru screamed out in frustration, startling the guards in front of him, before finally turning and beginning to head in the direction of his office. Deciding to hold off on going down there for a little while, Sesshoumaru figured it would give him time to set his mind right for the job he needed to do.

11:25

Hearing the scream, and knowing who had made the sound, Kagome wasn't sure if she should should shiver in fear at the sound he made or worry for what the strong man was becoming. Giving up on trying to chose one, Kagome shivered in the cold room as her tears continued to fall freely. Hearing a noise from behind her, Kagome glanced over her shoulder the best she could and spotted a shadow moving near the far window. Curious as to how someone got that close without the guards noticing, she remained silent until he had revealed his face.

"And what are you doing here?" she questioned as he pressed his face against the bars and gave her a half-hearted attempt at a smirk. He shrugged for a moment before breaking into a full grin as he raised his lock picking kit up for her to see.

"I can have you out of here in two seconds flat, you need only say the word," he told her as he nodded to the door in front of her while shaking the kit and causing its contents to jingle.

Kagome smiled at him around her bruised lip only to groan at the pain the movement caused. Turning back to face the cell door, Kagome shook her head at him. "I appreciate the offer, but I do not wish to break out. I am still loyal to the West and her lord and they will realize it soon enough. If I was to break out of here, it would only make things worse for me if I am caught before they learn the truth. As much as I hate being in this place, it is the only place I can be at this moment."

"Why do you even want to remain loyal after everything they have done to you? They have betrayed you, Kagome. Locked you up in a cell and even a man who claims to love you is down here torturing you. If he truly loved you, if they were even half as loyal to you as you are to them, none of this would have ever happened. You don't deserve this. Let me take you away from here, please Kagome. You know with me your loyalty will never be abused."

"I know and appreciate it, Hiten, but this is still my home. I could never live anywhere else besides within these walls, no lord could never be mine unless of this family. I know you do not understand and sometimes I wonder if I do, as I want nothing more than to get out of this dark, dank cell, but I can only go in one of two ways. I will either leave here with a full pardon or I will not leave this cell alive. I will not spend the rest of my life running in fear for a crime I have never committed. I will not have my name dragged through the mud. I have worked far too long and too hard to be what I am, to be who I am, to just throw it all away.

"Not when I know they are just doing their jobs. Their safety must come before all else, I have been taught this my entire life and I have taught it to those under me, how can I take it personally when they are just trying to do what I have risked my life time and time again to accomplish. And truthfully, Hiten, they are not doing anything I myself would not have done. Well save for one of them. But have faith, even if you do not have it in them or my team, have faith in me. I know they will find the truth and set me fear, I have trained my team well. Just give them time."

Hiten shook his head for a moment before smirking at her conviction. "Well when they do finally figure out the truth, if you realize you can't bring yourself to forgive a certain someone for his part, the offer I made when you arrested me, still stands." Hearing Kagome laugh only to groan in pain a moment later, Hiten shook his head at her once again. "Guard is coming, good luck," he told her before ducking back into the shadows.

Kagome smiled to herself for a moment before turning it into a frown as a guard glanced into the cell from behind the bars. "Was someone in there with you?" he questioned without looking at her as he continued to scanned the cell for any intruders.

"If there was, do you really think I would still be here?" she countered, tilting her head slightly to the side as she stared at him. He finally turned his attention to her only to flinch at the damage he saw. "If you're done staring, you can go now. As you can see, I am rather busy at the moment," Kagome told him before glancing over to the nearest wall and beginning to count the stones in it out loud.

11:40

"Someone please explain to me what the hell good going through this stuff is going to do?!" Sango screamed in frustration as she continued to go through the dresser in front of her. "Nothing in this room is ever going to prove her innocence, and even if it would, the idiot guards that were in here before us probably destroyed it. They don't exactly try to hide the fact that they don't like a woman being above them!" she continued to scream as she grabbed a handful of clothing before tossing it across the room, barely missing Miroku who was going through another dresser on the other side of the room.

"Throwing a fit will not help her either, my dear. And I doubt the guards would have destroyed any evidence as Kagome would beat them to within a inch of their lives once this is over if they did and they know it. We will find a way to prove her innocence, you must have faith," Miroku told his wife as he tried to calm her down.

Before she had the chance to answer, the door slid open to reveal Bankotsu and Jakotsu. "We finished with Kagome's room, thought you might like some help in here," Bankotsu explained as the entered the room and joined in the search. "Do either of you know just how many medals she's gotten?" Bankotsu asked over his shoulder as Sango and Miroku went back to searching.

"No, heck I don't even know where she keeps them. I just know she's gotten a lot of them. Some even before we joined the team," Sango explained as she gestured toward her husband with out looking up from the drawer she was searching.

"A lot doesn't even begin to cover it. I bet she has more than the rest of us combined, easy. And she keeps them in the top drawer of her dresser, we found them while searching her room. I found it kind of strange, I only have a few but I keep them displayed in my room. Why hide them away in a drawer?" Jakotsu wondered as he searched under and around the bed.

"Kagome's always said that her actions speak loud enough that she doesn't need to constantly remind people by showing them off. Though for a while in the beginning she did have them on display, but she worried that it might cause problems within the team with all the guys that were joining. She figured it was bad enough that you guys had to listen to a woman, she didn't think it would be a good idea to rub it in your faces that she was better than you," Sango explained with a laugh as she turned to glance over at them from over her shoulder.

"Was I really that bad when I first joined? I know I didn't like taking orders from a woman but I thought I hid most of my resentment from you guys," Bankotsu insisted as he stopped what he was doing to glance over at Sango and the others.

"Oh don't worry, you hid it just fine from us, however, it's impossible to slip anything past Kagome. She told me that she knew from the moment she first saw you that she was going to have the most problems with you, why do you think you barely saw her in the beginning. You were never paired up with her, she barely talked to you, let alone gave you orders. Every time she needed you to do something, she had Inuyasha tell you. At least until you got more used to her," Sango explained with a laugh as she went back to searching through the drawers.

"Well I'll be damned, I never noticed that. I think I'm learning more about Kagome in this one day than I had the entire time we've known each other. Like did you know that her uncle is Lord Menomaru? Hell I didn't even know he father was the Ambassador until today, I had never heard her last name before."

"Yeah well that's Kagome for you, all work and never really talks about herself. She's always said that if you have time to hang out and talk than you have time to train. I doubt even Inuyasha-sama or Sesshoumaru-sama know everything about her," Miroku told them as he finished going through the dresser and moved to help his wife.

11:50

"It is about damn time, get this convoy back on the road now!" the Ambassador commanded once the last of the bandits had been killed. Too preoccupied with getting going again, he barely noticed that his guard was down to only about five men after the fight. Around them, the ground was littered with bodies from both sides and the scurrying of feet as his men moved to follow his orders.

Taking only the Ambassador's carriage and a few of the horses, they left everything else behind and soon were underway. Feeling the carriage begin to move again, his wife finally uncovered her eyes and lifted her head to look around, making sure not to look behind them. She, however, noticed the decrease in manpower and worried how they would fare if they were to run into another problem.

Glancing over at her husband, she went to ask him if they would be okay with only five men, but the look of his face changed her mind. He stared hard out of the carriage, his face frozen in an angry scowl that caused her to shiver. Deciding it would be best to leave him alone, she turned her head and watched the passing landscape that glowed under the light of the moon.

11:55-12:00

"What's that?" Inuyasha questioned only to realize the woman he had been speaking to was not at his side. Realizing he had been talking to a woman who was still in a cell, Inuyasha shook his head before turning his attention back to what he had seen a moment before. The moonlight barely illuminated whatever it was causing him to have to squint to try and get a better look. As the object came closer he could tell that they were riders on horseback, but could not seen anything to distinguish who they were.

Deciding to get a better look, Inuyasha ran along the outer wall until he was standing above the kingdom gates and continued to stare at the incoming riders. While he still was unable to make them out, as they came closer he could see that one of them was waving something in their hand. Concentrating on the object for a few moments, he finally realized what it was, a fan.

"Open the gates!" he yelled to the guards below him as he waved to the incoming people, knowing at least one of them would be able to see him even from this distance. Sure enough after a moment, one of them waved back and he could see the horses begin to pick up speed. "Move your asses and open the damn gate!" he yelled down when the guards had yet to move. Finally they began doing as he commanded and Inuyasha could hear the gate opening below him.

"Inform lord Toga and my brother than my team is returning," Inuyasha instructed a nearby guard without ever taking his eyes off of the riders. Soon they were close enough to make out more detail and what he saw had Inuyasha confused. "Where's the forth? And for that matter, where's the guards I sent with them?" he questioned out loud as he did the only thing he could do at that moment, wait.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

The following takes place between 12am and 1am...

12:00

As they neared their destination, Kagura couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. The pain and suffering she knew Kagome must have been going through would soon come to an end. "Just a little while longer and then you can rest, my friend," she whispered to the horse she was riding while petting its mane. It neighed in response, almost as if it understood what she needed it to do. Tossing the other reigns back to Kirara, Kagura leaned forward and without needing to signal her horse, it knew to pick up speed and began racing toward the gates.

Seeing Inuyasha was waiting for her just on the other side of the gate, she began calling out to him. "Make them release Kagome, she is innocent!" Unsure if he could hear her over the pounding of hooves, she repeated the sentence over and over until she was out of breath. But by then she had reached the gate and dismounted her horse without waiting for it to stop. She managed to just barely land on her feet and ignored the slight pain that shot through her legs at the impact. "Release her, she is not a traitor," Kagura told Lord Toga seeing that he had arrived.

"You will forgive us if we do not take your word as proof," Hosenki mocked, ignoring the glare she sent his way. "Unless you actually have some real proof to offer my lord, I suggest you stop wasting his time," he told her and Kagura fought the strong urge to sock him.

"I have heard of her innocence from the Ambassador's own lips when he was speaking to his wife. Mere moments after giving the order to kiss us. Is that enough evidence for you, you pathetic little man?!" she demanded as she sent him another glare before turning her attention back to Lord Toga. "There can be no doubt of her innocence, my lord. Please release her before an innocent woman can be harmed any further," she pleased with him before bowing and trying to catch her breath.

Toga watched her as she panted for a few moments before nodding his head to one of the nearby guards. "Inform Jinenji-sensei that his services will be needed in the dungeon," turning toward his son, he continued, "You may release her, Inuyasha. I will be with you in just a moment."

12:10

Inuyasha stood there staring at his father for a few moments before finally allowing his pent up frustration and temper to be release. "I told you, for hours I have told you that she had no part in this and yet you allowed her to be tortured! And worse yet you allowed Sesshoumaru to be the one to torture her! Was your pride so damn important that you allowed this to go on?!" he demanded, ignoring Kagura's startled gasp when he spoke of Sesshoumaru being the one to torture her. From the corner of his eye he could see Hachi and Kirara returning, but didn't pay them any mind.

"Do not think for a single moment that you finally seeing what's right in front of you, here at the 11th hour, is going to make up for even the smallest fraction of the atrocities you have committed against her! If, after all you have done to her this day, she can not forgive you, you have no one but yourself to blame," he finished in a chilly tone before glaring hard at his father. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha took a deep breath before turning his attention to his team.

"Rest for now, I will debrief you later," he told them before glancing over at a couple of guards. "Tend to their horses," he commanded before turning and rushing off toward the dungeon as fast as his legs could carry him.

12:20

"Sango!" Miroku called out as he rushed through the halls in search of her. "I have important news to tell her and she is no where to be found, yet whenever I am doing something I do not want her to know about, she's always right there," he complained out loud to himself as he turned a corner and continued making his way toward Inuyasha's office, figuring that it was as good a place as any to look for her.

"Or perhaps I doing something she wouldn't want me to, would get her here faster," he joked out loud to himself before calling out her name once again. Down the hall, the door to Inuyasha's office slid open and Sango stuck her head out far enough to give him an annoyed look. "Ah there you are, my love. I have the most wonderful news," he began but before he could finish, she shot past him in a dead run. "Guess she already knew what I was going to say," Miroku mumbled to himself before glancing up to find Bankotsu and Jakotsu staring at him in question.

"Kagura and the others have returned bringing proof of her innocence and Lord Toga has already given Inuyasha-sama permission to release her," he explained causing a smile to grace Jakotsu's lips and a sigh of relief to pass Bankotsu's.

"What will happen to Kagome now?" Jakotsu questioned as his eyes trailed off in the direction of the dungeon. The others followed his gaze for a moment before turning their attention back to each other.

"Most likely that will be up to her. I have no doubt that Lord Toga is with her as we speak, apologizing. I very much doubt that they will fire her after everything they put her through unjustly, but whether she herself will wish to stay or not, I do not know," Miroku told them before walking in Inuyasha's office, figuring it would be better to wait there than to crowd the small cell. Apparently agreeing with his unspoken decision, the other two followed after him, sliding the door closed behind them.

12:30

"My, lord, the next messenger is ready to head East," Myoga informed him as he caught up with lord Toga as he was finally making his way toward the dungeon after seeing to it that the stuff at the gate was taken care of.

"It is about time, what took him so long?" Toga questioned as Myoga fell in step behind him.

"He was off duty and asleep, my lord. It took him a while to wake and prepare. But he is now ready to leave at your order," Myoga explained.

"Very well, the message to Lord Menomaru is on my desk. Retrieve it for him and send him off. Do not wait for me as I do not know how long this will take," toga instructed as they reached the dungeon door. With a bow, Myoga turned and began heading back toward Toga's office as the door was opened and Toga started down the hall.

The moment he began making his way toward her cell, he could hear his younger son's voice, though he could not make out what he was saying. The closer he got, the more he could make out and it wasn't long before he could understand that Inuyasha was comforting her. Reaching the cell door, he glanced in to find Jinenji-sensei was already seeing to her wounds while his son was holding an already bandaged hand and Sango stood nearby.

"How is she doing, Jinenji-sensei?" Toga inquired deciding not to bother her for the moment since she was busy talking to Inuyasha.

"Most of the physical wounds are not that deep though I am afraid a far might leave scars. In time her wound will heal," he explained as he finished adding the last bandage and, gathering his supplies, began making his way out of the cell. "Remember to come to me when you need the bandages changed," Jinenji told her as he glanced over his shoulder. Kagome nodded to him before turning her attention back to Inuyasha who was still fretting over her. "I am not worried about the physical wounds as they will heal within a few weeks, but I worry about any emotional pain she may have suffered. Only her inner strength can determine when she will heal."

"Thank you, Jinenji-sensei," Toga said with a slight nod of his head. Jinenji bowed before making his way down the hall as Toga entered the cell. "The West and I owe you an apology, Kagome. If there is anything you need, you must only ask," he told her as he, the Lord of the West, bowed before her.

"Rise, my lord, you must never bow before one of your subjects," she insisted as she stood and limped over to him slowly. "Fear not, my lord, I understand why all that was done, was done and I do not hold blame against you. Nor against the West. You have not done anything that I, myself, would not have ordered as well. Now if my lords do not mind," Kagome began as she turned her attention to Inuyasha, "I would very much like a change of scenery. What is my next orders?"

"Are you sure it is wise to go back on duty after everything that has happened this day? Would it not be better to rest child?" Toga questioned in a worried tone.

"Especially with all that has happened, I still have a job to do and I am already behind. And I do not wish to watch as time passes slowly while I idle in my courters. I would much rather keep busy and help the time to pass quicker," she explained with a pleading look in her eyes directed at Inuyasha, hoping he wouldn't tell her to rest.

"Go get changed and head for sentry duty above the gate. I'll inform those that are remaining here to fill you in on what you've missed. From here I head out with the army to capture the convoy," he explained when Kagome gave him a confused look.

"Don't kill them, I wish to hear it from their own lips," Kagome told him before bowing to them the best she could before turning and limping her way out of the dungeon with a silent Sango following after her.

Inuyasha listened as her footsteps faded in the distance before turning his attention to his father. "Just so you know, I'm holding you and Sesshoumaru responsible, even if she doesn't," Inuyasha told him before he too began making his way out of the dungeon.

12:50-1:00

"We all ready to go?" Kirara inquired as she mounted her horse before glancing around at the men gathered at the gate. On her right, Hachi and Miroku had already mounted their horses and were awaiting Inuyasha. To her left, Bankotsu had just arrived and was mounting his horse. Behind them was a large number of the kingdom's guards on horseback. Glancing around she quickly realized one person was still missing.

"Yes, we are just waiting on Inuyasha-sama. He should be returning from the dungeon soon," Miroku explained as he nodded toward the empty horse that was being led over to them.

"How are we supposed to catch up to them before the reach the East with this many men traveling with us anyways?" Hachi questioned, thinking about how with this many people only taking one horse each would cause them to travel at a much slower pace.

"Inuyasha-sama mentioned something about a short cut, plus even with their lead, the carriages will slow them down. We should reach them not long before the reach the East," Bankotsu explained as he caught sight of Inuyasha making his way toward them.

"Open the gate," Inuyasha instructed as he mounted his horse and glanced around to make sure everyone was ready. "Move out," he commanded as he flicked the reigns and his horse took off, leading the army out of the West.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

The following takes place between 1am and 2am...

1:00

"Sesshoumaru-sama if I may ask," Jaken began after walking into his office and seeing him sitting at his desk. "Why were you not there for her release? I would think you of all people would be there to celebrate her innocence," Jaken continued confused at Sesshoumaru's actions.

Sesshoumaru glanced up at him for a few moments before sighing and dropping his eyes back to his desk. "After everything I have done this day, I find myself unable to face her. Unable to see the look of hurt that shines in her eyes or hear the pain I caused her in her voice," Sesshoumaru explained softly.

"I am sure, Sesshoumaru-sama, that Kagome will understand that you were simply doing what was best for the kingdom," Jaken assured him.

"And had that been true, Jaken, I would agree with you, however, by going down there myself it was no longer about the West, but about myself and the pain I felt. I knew of no other way to be absolutely sure of her innocence other than to cause her extreme pain, both physically and mentally. I know going down there that I might destroy what we have, but for the sake of myself and the West, it had to be done."

"Does this mean you intend to give up on her, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken wondered concerned. It was not like to give up on anything and the thought that he might give up on something this important to him, had Jaken worried about just how much pain the heir to the West was in.

"No, never could I give up on her. I could sooner give up the air I breath. I will fight for her, Jaken, I just can not do it at this moment," Sesshoumaru explained before growing quiet once again. Jaken watched him in silence for a few moments before deciding to give him some time to himself. Giving him an unnoticed bow, Jaken left the office, silently sliding the door closed behind him.

1:05

Kouga watched as his father finished up a meeting with his advisors from just outside the door. He waited until he had dismissed them before entering the room and seating himself in front of the desk. "Father, there is something I find myself worried about. Do you think, there is any chance Lord Toga might believe we had something to do with what has happened? I may not agree with everything that is happening with Kikyou, but even I know it would be bad for the East if we lose our alliance."

"Worry not Kouga, if Toga even thought there was a possibility we could have been behind the attack, he would not have sent the messenger to tell us about it. No, what worries me, is the chance that it was not just a random attack by bandits. If it was not, then there is someone out there trying to destroy our alliance. Neither Lord Toga nor I can afford for that to happen,": Menomaru explained, his tone clearly expressing his worry.

Kouga watched as his father began to pace back and forth in front of him, wisely deciding to be silent for the moment. As the moments ticked by without any word from his father, Kouga began to wonder if his father had forgotten about his presence complete. As he continued to wait, remaining unnoticed by his father, Kouga decided to leave him be for the time being and quietly made his way out of the office.

1:10

Sesshoumaru was pulled from his silent thoughts and the door to his office slid open and he glanced up to tell Jaken not to bother him, only to find his father standing in the doorway staring down at him. Rising to his feet, Sesshoumaru bowed before his father as he waited for him to speak. "What are you doing, my son? Are you trying to make things harder on yourself?" Toga questioned as he entered the room and slid the door closed behind him.

"I do not understand what you mean, father. Perhaps you could explain further," Sesshoumaru suggested as he retook his seat behind his desk, his eyes never leaving his father's. Toga continued to stare at him for a few moments before sighing and seating himself in front of the desk.

"Do not play the part of a fool, my son, you know very well what it is that I speak of. Why were you not in the dungeon when she was released? More than I, you should have been there to face her," Toga insisted causing Sesshoumaru to sigh before lowering his head into his hands.

"I could not face her. Had I been there, I would have fallen to pieces and I am not sure they could have been put back together. I believe it would be better to allow sometime to pass before I am to meet with her."

"I have never known you to allow fear to control your actions, Sesshoumaru. You need to do what it is that you have always done, face your fears. Become stronger by overcoming them. The heir to the West can not hide away in his office because he is scared to face a woman he has wronged. Do you think it was easy for me to be there? It was hell and I still faced her. I owe her that much at least. It may have been your hands that hurt her, but it was I that gave the order, that allowed for it.

"Sesshoumaru, the longer you hide away in this office, the harder it's going to become for you. It will not be fixed easily, but hiding away, will never fix it. Speak with her, see her. Accept her anger and what ever it is she will say to you. Do it soon, so you both may begin to heal," Toga instructed before rising and making his way back toward the door. Without another word, he slid it open and walked back out into the hall.

1:15

Kagome stood staring down at her clothing as she tried to readjust them so that they would cover the bulges, instead she only made them seem worse. She groaned in frustration before removing her clothes and throwing them across the room with a scream. "Damn it," she swore under her breath as she sank to her knees and glanced down at her nearly naked form. Bandages covered most of her arms and legs, as well as, a good portion of her torso. The bulges they caused, made it impossible to get her clothing to lay correctly.

She knew she could not go out there in such an unkempt manner as it would give others the fuel they needed to pull her off of duty. Ever since she had been given her position, there had been those that fought to prove she was unfit, reporting every misstep she ever took. After all that had happened today, she dared not give them any more to use against her. She would allow no one to call her weak simply because she was a woman.

Nodding her head in determination, Kagome rose to her feet and began searching through her clothing to find something to wear that would completely cover the bandages. Finally deciding on a forest green and off white kimono, she dressed as quickly as she could, making sure that the belled sleeves did not show any bulges. Satisfied, she began brushing her hair as a knock came at her door. "Come in, Sango," she called out without bothering to look at the door.

Behind her, she could hear the door slide open but didn't pay her guest any mind as she finished brushing out her long hair. "One of these days, you have to tell me how you always know who it is at the door," Sango joked as she sat down on the floor behind Kagome, watching her as she finished preparing.

"It's a secret," Kagome told her with a half smile as she turned to face her. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be at your post?" Kagome questioned as she walked over to the door and slipped her feet inside her shoes.

"I am, Kagome. My job right now is to worry about you. I can understand why you want to go back out there, but shouldn't you rest? Even if it's just for the rest of this day? I know you do not wish to show weakness, but no one that matters will see it as such if you decided to rest after all that has happened. And no one cares about those that would."

"It's not all about not showing weakness, Sango. If I stay here I will start crying and I don't know if I will ever be able to stop. Plus I will worry about what is happening with my parents and it will drive me to madness. I have to keep busy and this is simply the best way to do it. I thank you for your concern, my friend, but allow me this," Kagome pleaded before sliding the door open and heading out without waiting for Sango's reply.

Behind her, she could hear Sango enter the hallway, closing the door to her room, but paid her little mind as she caught sight of Kagura heading toward her. Knowing what was coming, Kagome fought the urge to sigh and held her head up with a forced smile on her face. "Forget it Kagome, no one would buy that smile as genuine. What post did Inuyasha-sama give you?" Kagura questioned as she fell in step with them, giving Kagome a look that said she wasn't buying her attempts to look alright.

"Wall sentry," Kagome explained allowing the smile to drop and settling for a more neutral expression. "And I don't wait to hear any complaints from either of you, it is the easiest job he could have given me. All I want to do right now is my job and in case you have forgotten, with Inuyasha-sama gone, I am in charge. So don't even think of over ruling me," she warned them as she glared toward two guards that were passing them. They weren't even bothering to try and cover up the fact that they had just been gossiping about her.

"Idiots," Sango mumbled just loud enough that the guards could hear her as she rolled her eyes. "But don't forget Kagome, there is one way to over rule you. The rest of us simply have to vote unanimously that you are unfit," Sango reminded her jokingly.

"Ah but you forget, Sango, one of you would have to challenge me for my position and beat me in a battle. I may be injured, but I am far from weak. And as I would have far more to prove, I would not lose. Now be good little girls and get to your posts. That's an order," Kagome told them with a genuine smile as they reached the courtyard and she began making her way toward her post.

"Still as bossy as ever, I see," Kagura joked with a smile at Sango before turning and heading off toward her post. Sango laughed quietly herself before doing the same, never seeing Kagome turn back once she had reached the ladder. Not wanting to climb it in front of them, in case any of her pain showed, she had waited until they left before slowly making her way toward the top. Each step caused her to flinch in pain, but she carefully kept it hidden in case some guard or kingdom official was watching her every move.

As she finally reached the top of the ladder, she found Jakotsu standing there with a hand stretched out toward her. "I can manage on my own, Jakotsu," she assured him and watched as he pulled his hand back before climbing up the rest of the way. "So what brings you to my post, Jakotsu?" she questioned as she straighten out her clothing and turned towards him.

"I am simply checking on you as Inuyasha-sama has asked me to do. I can see that you are doing fine, I will leave you for now. But I will be back," he told her with a smile before making his way down the ladder and out of her sight. Kagome rolled her eyes at him before turning to glance out over the wall.

1:35

Toga stared down at the small medal in his hand as he allowed his thoughts to wander uninhibited. His youngest son's words echoed in his mind and he couldn't help but find himself agreeing to them. Sighing, he closed his hand around the medal and closed his eyes as images of the day's events appeared before him. Unable to bare them for long, he reopened his eyes and glanced over at the painting of his late wife.

"Our son is right, my love. I do not know when he became so wise, but today I feel as though I am not but a fool when I stand next to him. Through it all he held strong to his beliefs and I allowed fear to cloud my own. I must have missed it some where along the way for I do not remember him becoming a man, but there can be no doubt in my mind that he is one.

"His faith never once wavered while I found mine constantly changing, ebbing and waning as though it was the tide. He stood up against those that cast doubts upon him while I hid away in fear. His conviction has stunned and amazed me. He knew what was right and stood up for it and all I could do was worry over my own choices. You would be so proud of him, my love, our baby has grown and when I think I still have much to teach him, I find him teaching me.

"I envy the strength he has shown this day, for I fear my mistakes will weight heavily on me for a long time to come and I could use all the strength I can get. I betrayed her, betrayed her loyalty and my own honor. Even now, after everything that has happened, she still wishes to protect the West and does not lay blame with me, and yet, at the first sign of doubt, I threw her to the wolves.

"I turned my back on a girl who has never done a single thing to lose my trust and now, as Inuyasha said, it is on me. Everything that has happened this day, and anything the future might bring because of it, it is all on my head. My shoulders must bare the weight of my choices until the day when I can be forgiven. And even if she truly forgives me, I do not believe I will ever forgive myself."

1:40

Hearing the sound of soft footsteps behind her, Kagome glanced over to find a sleepy Shippo making his way over to her. Smiling, she watched as he slowly made his way toward her, waiting to see what he wanted. Stopping in front of her, he raised his arms up, indicating he wanted her to pick him up and, making sure not to show him any sign of the pain it caused, Kagome reached down and wrapped him in her arms.

"What are you doing out of bed this late at night?" Kagome inquired as she turned herself so she was facing away from the kingdom once again and continued to keep a watch on the land on the other side of the wall.

"I wanted to see you," Shippo explained as he snuggled deeper into her arms and let off a sigh of contentment. "Kagome," Shippo began after a few moments of silence, where the other thing that could be heard was their breathing. "Are you going to keep your promise?" he finally continued softly, confusing her for a few moments.

After finally realizing what promise he was referring to, Kagome stared up at the sky silently for a few tense minutes and Shippo began to think that he had angered her and was about to climb out of her arms when she began speaking. "I will, Shippo. For even if it turns out that my parents really were behind what happened, it only means they have betrayed me as well. Do not worry yourself, no matter who it was, I will see them brought to justice, just as I have promised.

"Now shut your eyes and try to get some sleep. I will have you returned to your room once you are, but until then you can stay with me," Kagome told him softly as she gently began to rock him while keeping her attention where it should be.

1:50-2:00

"There you are, brother. I have been searching for you," Kikyou told Kouga as she saw him coming down the hallway toward her. "The kingdom seems to be in a fit about something, yet I can not seem to get anyone to tell me what is going on. Perhaps you can fill me in?" she questioned as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, making her request seem more like a demand.

"Too much is going on, that's what," Kouga complained with a sigh causing Kikyou to stare at him confused. "Earlier today the convoy on the way to the West was attacked, the Ambassador was killed. Father worries that it may not have been just a random attack and has decided that we will take the army to meet the other convoy as soon as they can be ready. He doesn't want to chance anything happening to them as well," Kouga explained causing his sister to gasp in shock.

"Those poor people," Kikyou whispered as she placed her hand over her mouth and glanced down at her feet. After a few moments of silence had passed between the two of them, she finally glanced back up at her brother and allowed her hand to fall back at her side. "Father does not believe it was random? What led him to believe that? Do you agree?"

"He doesn't have any evidence to support it, you know how he worries. I don't really know one way or the other, but I myself fear Lord Toga might believe we are behind it. Father says it is not so as he is the one that sent us word of what has happened, but even if he did not believe so when he wrote the message, there is no telling what he may believe in time. We can not chance another war with the West, and the peace has been far too short lived."

"I agree with father on this one, brother, I do not believe Lord Toga will ever think they we had something to do with this. He is far too intelligent a man and knows we have far too much riding on the alliance to have done something such as this. I am sure you have much work to do, I shall return to my courters so I will not be underfoot. Be safe when you go, Kouga," Kikyou pleaded with a slight bow before turning and making her way toward her room. Kouga watched until she was no longer in sight before turning and once again heading in the direction he had been going before she stopped him.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

The following takes place between 2am and 3am...

2:00

Sesshoumaru made his way around the courtyard in an unhurried pace a few minutes after having decided that he needed to get some fresh air. This early in the morning, very few people were up and his peace went undisturbed. The only other souls that crossed his path were the kingdom's guards, who wisely stayed clear of his path. Every step he took, thoughts of Kagome filled his mind, forcing himself to face his actions of the day.

More than anything he just wanted to forget about everything that had happened, just go back to how things had been before the sun had ever rose, but as he glanced up, he found that not only had fate decided to refuse his wish, but it was a cruel mistress. For he found himself staring up at the woman that his thoughts surrounded. Too busy rocking Shippo in her arms, she remained unaware of his presence behind her and Sesshoumaru found himself thankful for it.

From here he could look upon the woman he loved without the fear of her showing him a look of hatred. As long as they did not meet face to face, he could go on believing that there was hope for them yet. And he could not help but see just how much more beautiful she looked while carrying a child in her arms. One of his greatest regrets before today was the fact that he could never have children with her and while they had only talked about it once, the knowledge had haunted him even to this day.

Flashback

"Enough Inuyasha, I understand that you are worried about me but it is not necessary. I knew what would happen and what could never happen when I got into a relationship with Sesshoumaru. I do not regret my decision to be with him, even knowing that it won't last forever. I would rather have the short time that we are together, even knowing that at the end it will shatter my heart when we must part, I would rather spend my time completely in love with him, knowing it can not last, than live a life without him simply to save myself from pain.

"I know you do not understand, Inuyasha, but it is worth it. All the pain and heartache in the world is worth a few short summers of being with the one you love more than life itself," Kagome told him, trying to make him understand that even with the limitations put on their relationship, she still wanted to be with Sesshoumaru.

"Kagome you heard what they said in there. They're talking about him preparing to have an heir. That means he's going to have to take a wife and you will be left with nothing. Get out now, Kagome, get out and give yourself a chance to heal before his wedding gets shoved in your face. It is only a matter of time and I do not want to see you hurt when the time comes. With my wedding plans in the work, it will not be long before my father's advisors talk him into preparing for Sesshoumaru's as well.

"And they won't spare a single thought for your feelings. I get it, you guys wanted to be together even knowing this day would come, but the day has come Kagome. Don't wait until someone else forces you apart, do it now by your own choosing. Have the chance to say goodbye to each other, once a fiancé is named for him, you will no longer have the chance. This is it Kagome, it's the end of the road. An extra season will not make a difference, but it will give you time to heal," Inuyasha insisted as he grabbed a hold of Kagome and pulled her into his arms.

"You always worry so for me, but you are always a step behind, Inuyasha. We have already set a date," Kagome whispered as she rested her head against his shoulder. Confused, Inuyasha pushed her back so he could look her in the eyes. "Your wedding. We know the advisors will not bring it up until your wedding is complete, so we've decided for that to be our last day together. I understand why you wish for me to have a chance to heal, but more than that, I could not stand to lose a single instant that I have with him.

"I will take the pain when it comes, but sparing myself from pain by leaving him now, would only cause me more pain and regret. I know it does not make since to you Inuyasha, but you need not worry for me, for while I may only love for a few summers, I love enough to satisfy my heart in this life and the next. When we end it, I will not walk away with merely pain and regret, there will also be happiness and love," she assured him and Inuyasha tightened his hold on her once again. Unsure of what else he could do for his friend, he merely held onto her for a few moments before glancing up to find Sesshoumaru standing in the hallway behind her.

Giving his brother a dirty look, Inuyasha hugged her one final time before finally letting go and walking away without another word. Already knowing the reason for his behavior, Kagome simply smiled at his retreating back until he could no longer be seen. "Greetings, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome called over her shoulder without bothering to turn around to face him. "What brings you here?" she questioned as she wiped her eyes to make sure there were no tears in her eyes.

"I am sorry," he whispered as he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I truly wish there was more I could do for you. You have given me everything I could have ever wanted and more and yet I can give you nothing in return. I have failed you and I am truly sorry," he whispered as he tightened his hold on her, unwilling to allow her to turn around for fear she would see the pain etched on his face.

"You are wrong Sesshoumaru, you have not failed me, there is nothing you could ever do that would. And you have not given me nothing. I have your love and it is more than enough for me. I do not want for anything, because you have already given me everything I could have ever wanted. Even knowing this will all one day end, I would do it all over without a second thought because it is more than worth it. If I had only had your love for a single day, I would still tell you the same. I have been allowed to love you with everything I have and everything that I am and most people never have that chance. Never apologized to me for the time we have had together has more than made up for anything else that may happen or that can never happen.

"I knew from the very start that I could never be with you forever, we could never have children, we could never consummate our love, I could never be your wife, but I do not now nor will I ever regret choosing the path I did. Even with everything you seem to believe I missed out on, I would still choose to love you. Do not look back on our time together in sadness, for I will not be. I will see it for what it truly was, a blessing. You gave my life meaning and though we can not always be together, I shall never leave your side. For when the day comes that you are my lord, I shall serve you until my dying breath."

End Flashback

"Return him to his room for me please," Kagome instructed a nearby guard before handing over the sleeping child into his arms. As she watched him leave, Kagome caught sight of Sesshoumaru watching her from below. She could clearly see the pain reflecting in his eyes, but could do nothing more than hold his gaze for a few moments. Unable to bare it for long, Kagome turned her gaze back toward the land surrounding the kingdom, ignoring the single tear that made its way down her cheek.

2:20

"If it is not one thing, it is another! Can you morons not do anything right!?" the Ambassador demanded of his guards as he and his wife watched from nearby as they tried to fix one of the carriage's wheels. It had gotten damaged due to the rocky landscape and since the moment they had had to stop, he had not stopped complaining.

"Husband, yelling at them will not make them go any faster, if anything it will only cause more delays," his wife warned only to have his anger turned on her.

"Unless you wish to be helping them, I suggest keeping silent. This would not have happened if the idiot had known how to drive. And in case you have forgotten, wife, the longer we are out here, the most chances there are for something to go wrong. For only once we are behind the walls of the East, can we be truly safe and we are already far behind schedule due to those morons that attacked us earlier.

"Do you truly believe they are the only bandits out here? The longer we stay in one place, the greater the chances that another bunch will find us and we do not have the man power to fight them off again. If something happens they will simply kill me, you however, will not be so lucky. You'd better pray that they just sell you rather than taking turns with you," he sneered at her before turning his attention back to the guards and beginning to yell at them once again.

His wife shivered for a moment as she thought over his words before deciding to change the subject back to one she felt was safer. "Do you believe it is still possible for us to reach the East safely?"

"Providing we have no other encounters with bandits, yes. There is no way for the West to know that we are in any way connected with what has happened, so we remain safe for the time being. That idiot Toga is not a problem for us, so forget about him and make yourself useful by keeping an eye out for any more ambushes."

2:25

"Pick up the pace!" Inuyasha shouted over his shoulder as he followed his own order and urged his horse to move faster. He could hear the sounds of his order being passed back by members of his team and knew that they would see to it that the men followed it. Catching sight of a small path opening up off to his right, Inuyasha turned his horse in its direction, knowing it would lead them on a short cut toward the East.

"If there really is a short cut here why did the others not use it?" Bankotsu questioned as he had to slow his horse down slightly to keep on the path behind Inuyasha.

"It's too narrow for a convoy and there is no way off of the short cut until the end. It would have taken Kagura and the others longer to catch up as they would have had to backtrack a ways. And unless you know what you are looking for, it can be hard to spot," Inuyasha explained as he watched as the path began to open up so it was big enough for three horses side by side, rather than just a single horse as it had been.

"Kirara take your position!" Inuyasha called over his shoulder and after a moment, her horse passed the others and took her place in the lead in order to be a look out. "Everyone else, pick back up the pace and remember the Ambassador and his wife are to be unharmed! The other traitors, however, are far game!" he told them and even without looking, he knew Bankotsu was smirking at the news.

2:30

As his advisors took their seats before his desk, they could tell Toga's mind wasn't on the meeting they were about to have. The three turned their attention to each other, but could only shrug their shoulders at the unasked question. Unsure of what to do to bring their lord's mind back to the present, Totosai and Myoga sat quietly waiting for him to come around on his own, Hosenki on the other hand, decided not to wait.

"My lord, if I may, you should put what has happened out of your mind. You made the right choice, the only choice there was. There is no need to second guess your actions," Hosenki assured him drawing Toga's attention to him.

"Did I? Did I really make the right choice? I ordered the torture of an innocent girl that may have very well become my daughter-in-law one day, does that sound like a good choice to you? Because to me, it sounds like the worst mistake of my life," Toga told him before sighing and allowing his gaze to drop down to his hands.

"What do you mean, my lord?" Totosai inquired confused by Toga's words.

"I have decided that I will be taking another wife in order to obtain a treaty, leaving my son to marry whom he wishes. Though I may have very well destroyed any hope of that happening as well as Sesshoumaru's only chance of happiness by what I allowed him to do," Toga explained without raising his head.

"My lord, Sesshoumaru-sama made his own choice, you are not responsible for what he did. And if the girl is as loyal as she claims to be then she will understand that everyone was just doing their job of insuring the safety of yourself," Hosenki told him, his voice full of confidence.

Myoga rolled his eyes at Hosenki before responding, "Had it simply been Bankotsu down there with her, you would probably be right, however, by going down there himself, Sesshoumaru-sama made it personal. I doubt anyone can get over being tortured not only by the man she loves, but one who claims to love her as well."

"She will be able to get over it, either that, or she is not fit to be the next lady of the West anyways," Hosenki countered earning a dirty look from Myoga. Deciding he was in no mood to continue dealing with his advisors, Toga waved them away and waited until they had left the room before sighing once again and laying his head upon his desk.

2:40

"Damn it," Kagome mumbled to herself as she noticed a dark, wet spot on her arm. "Jakotsu," she called out knowing he would not be far away. "I need to stop by Jinenji-sensei's and have a bandage replaced since it's bleed through, can you watch my post for a while?" she questioned once he had appeared next to her.

"Of course, Kagome. Take as long as you need," Jakotsu told her with a smile. Thanking him, Kagome turned and began making her way toward the ground. Once she reached the bottom of the ladder, she headed in the direction of the medical hut, thankful it wasn't too far away from where she was currently. She ignored the look she received from the guards she passed, holding her head up high, making sure they knew what they thought about her meant nothing to her.

She could hear their whispered words and insults, positive they knew full well she could hear them, but decided not to let them get to her. She had done nothing wrong and she wasn't about to let them treat her like she was any less then them, but at the same time, she really didn't have the time to correct them at the moment, so for now at least, they were saved from her wrath. But Kagome smiled with the knowledge that their freedom to speak ill about her would not last long.

Soon as everything that had happened today was over, she would have a talk with Inuyasha about giving the kingdom's guards a harder training and longer hours on duty. It would serve them right for how they treated their superior, and Kagome could already see herself smirking from behind Inuyasha as he informed them of what they would be in for. "But for now..." Kagome whispered out loud to herself as she reached the hut and made her way in.

"Do you have a few moments, Jinenji-sensei? One of my bandages bleed through and I need to have it changed," Kagome explained when he glanced over at her from his desk. He nodded to her with a smile as he rose and began making his way over toward her as he gestured for her to sit down. Removing her over kimono, so the sleeve wouldn't be in his way, Kagome sat down and made sure she didn't look at the bloody bandage that adorned her arm.

"I'll wash the sleeve out for you," Shiori told her with a soft smile as she collected the kimono and began making her way toward a washing pale before Kagome could respond. Smiling at the girl's retreating back, Kagome shook her head before turning her attention back to Jinenji.

"I had a visitor a little while ago," Kagome informed him with a laugh and Jinenji smiled realizing who she was referring to. As he expression became serious, Kagome continued, "Do you think he will be okay? He's so young and I worry how badly he will be affected by this. It would be a shame if he loses his cheery disposition."

"I am sure Shippo will be just fine in time, since he is so young, he has plenty of time to over come this. And he has plenty of friends surrounding him to help him. I believe you should worry more about yourself. The death of one's parents is far easier to get over than the knowledge that one's parents killed innocent people," Jinenji insisted causing Kagome's face to harden at the thought of her parents.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome closed her eyes for a few moments as she got her anger under control. Releasing the breath, she opened her eyes and gave Jinenji a sad smile. "I am an adult and have far more experience dealing with hardships than he does. His parents were just innocent bystanders in all of this and I can not help but think this is my fault. For all my training, I never knew something was wrong. His parents are dead because I could not see what was right in front of me," Kagome said, looking like she was about ready to cry.

"How can I call myself a warrior when I don't even know my own parents? My job has always been to see what didn't belong, but I couldn't even see it in my own life. I have failed Lord Toga and the West. I have failed myself," Kagome berated herself as he finished changing the bandaging her arm.

"Dear child, you have failed no one, not Lord Toga, not the West and certainly not yourself. It is most probable that their betrayal stems from long before you were ever born. You could not notice what was wrong with them, because their behavior has never changed. You said your job is to see what did not belong, so I do not see how you failed to do your job, as everything about them belonged as it always has. They have had many years to perfect their persona and you can not blame yourself for not noticing what was never there.

"You are not to blame for their actions. Only your own. As each man and woman are. It may not seem like it at this moment, but you are not required to pay for the actions of others, no matter who they may be. It seems Shiori is done with your kimono, I am sure you wish to get back to your post," he told her as he gestured for the younger girl to come over. Kagome couldn't help but smile as she nodded to him and received her kimono. After putting it back on and making sure everything was laying flat, Kagome bowed to them and began making her way back out of the hut.

2:55

"Never plan on using the door do you?" Kikyou questioned after she had turned around and found someone standing silently behind her. "I would still like to know how you always manage to get into my courters without making a sound," she informed her guest causing them to smirk in response. "Well do not just stand there, I assume you are here to update me."

"Yes, lady Kikyou," her companion replied with a deep bow before standing up straight once again. "Your plan is to be carried out at sunrise and the convoy should arrive soon after," she informed her and Kikyou nodded before seating herself on a cushion and gesturing for her to do the same.

"I have been informed that father and Kouga intend on meeting up with the Ambassador to bring them home safely. It would seem that that the West has learned of an attack on the convoy and has sent word here.

"I would not worry, lady Kikyou, the Ambassador was no where near the attack so there is no reason for the West to suspect him. And even if he does, there is nothing to connect them to you. If anything, they will suspect your cousin, so rest assured. Also, I have received word that everything went according to plan in the West. The decoys did their job well and the true assassin should meet no resistance."

"Would there not be higher security due to the earlier attempts at his life? You can not afford to have anything go wrong, if it does, you will be held responsible," she warned the woman across from her.

"Worry not my lady, now that they believe they have caught everyone behind the attacks they will be a bit slack. And they have caught them all, at least those in the first wave. None of them knew of another nor of us. And they were all hung earlier so we will not have to worry about getting rid of them ourselves. You have my word, my lady."

"You better be right, Tsubaki, if you fail me, you will pay dearly."

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

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Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

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AN: Getting down to the wire, only three chapters left to go and today's a special treat since you get two chapters in one day :). Well with the end of the last chapter all of the major villains have been announced and I would love your feedback on it, did ya see it coming or were you, as I hope, taken completely off guard? Let me know either way. :)

The following takes place between 3am and 4am...

3:00

"Be ready to head out as soon as my father arrives!" Kouga called out to the men waiting near the gate as he mounted his horse in preparation to meet up with the convoy. Even with his father and sister's reassurances, he couldn't help but worry about their relationship with the West. The peace between the two kingdoms had not lasted long enough and he was not sure if either side would survive another war.

Not when they already had other kingdoms they had to deal with threatening to go to war. And he knew that even if this did not end in war, that this day would haunt them for a very long time to come. Never before had an Ambassador from either side been killed, and on the annual homecoming no less. And now on top of everything else, they had to worry about the chance that something might happen to their Ambassador as well.

"Are you ready to head out, Kouga?" Menomaru inquired bringing his son's attention back to the present as he mounted the horse next to him. He watched as Kouga shook his head to clear his thoughts before turning to nod in confirmation. "Open the gate!" Menomaru called out and waited until the guards had done as he bid before raising his hand as a signal for the army to move out.

Keeping in the lead, Kouga and Menomaru were the first two to pass the gate and once they had cleared the kingdom's wall, they urged their horses to break out in full speed, quickly leaving the kingdom in the dust. "You should not worry about what fate has in store for us right now, my son, there will plenty of time for that later," Menomaru told him seeing that Kouga's mind was wandering again and correctly guessing what he was thinking about.

"How can I not worry now, father? This could bring us to war again with the West and we can not afford for that to happen. And right now we have nothing but time as it will take us a while to meet up with the convoy. Why put it off for later when the extra time may help me come with some way to get us to make it through this day without further issues?"

3:10

"Inuyasha-sama, by any chance will we be able to have a go at her parents once they are brought back to the West? I for one would love to get them in a cell with myself," Bankotsu told him as they continued traveling across the land as fast as they could on the narrow trail.

"I sure hope so. To tell you the truth, I'm kinda hoping they refuse to say anything before we get them in the dungeon," Inuyasha replied before turning silent as he thought about it for a moment before continuing, "Though even if they do, I'll still make sure you get a chance with them. I'll make sure they feel everything Kagome did because of them being traitors."

"And I thought I was evil," Bankotsu joked when he saw the smirk on Inuyasha's face. Inuyasha simply laughed before turning his attention back to the road ahead of them. Behind them, Miroku and Hachi exchanged looks at the conversation before shrugging in unison.

"Remind me to never piss off Inuyasha-sama," Hachi whispered to Miroku as he leaned over as far as he could without risking falling off his horse.

"Him or Bankotsu," Miroku agreed with a laugh, not bothering to hide his smile when Bankotsu turned to glance back at them. "What? It's true," Miroku told him letting his smile turn into a full blown grin causing Bankotsu to roll his eyes before turning around. "Though truthfully, I'm more worried about being around when Kagome confronts her parents. That is one scary lady when she's pissed, makes Inuyasha-sama and Bankotsu look like children in comparison," Miroku said with a laugh causing both Inuyasha and Bankotsu to turn and around and glare at him.

"And just when have you seen Kagome pissed?" Inuyasha inquired before continuing with a laugh, "Though you are right about her being scary when she's angered."

"A few summers ago. Do you remember she reported a guard for being at a tavern when he was supposed to be on duty?" Miroku questioned and waited for Inuyasha to nod his head before continuing. "After that a few of his friends got pissed off at her and decided to teach her a lesson. We were on the way to our evening meal when they stopped her and began berating her, telling her woman sure learn their place and should know better than getting in men's affairs.

"Needless to say she did not take their words very well and before it was over she arrested them for disobeying their superior. But she had gotten so pissed at them she actually broke one of their arms and while it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen, seeing as how they were each twice her size and out numbered her five to one, the fact that she took them all down single handedly and the look on her face while doing it, has always scared me," Miroku finished causing Bankotsu to laugh, whether it was because of Kagome's actions or the fact that he had been scared by her, he was unsure.

"Ah I remember that. They tried to have her arrested for assault against a guard after that. Sesshoumaru actually docked their pay for interrupting him for that. Only time I've ever seen Jaken laugh. After Sesshoumaru told them to leave, Kagome busted up laughing and can you believe that little guy started laughing with her. You should have seen the look on Sesshoumaru's face, I think it was the first time he heard it as well.

"Though it's definitely something you don't want to hear twice. For such a small guy, he has a very high pitched laugh. But it was worth it to see my brother's shocked face," Inuyasha told them with a chuckle.

"I can't believe they actually tried to get her in trouble for that. Didn't they know that her and Sesshoumaru are together?" Hachi wondered a bit confused.

"No, back then very few people know about them. It was not long after they had gotten together and in fact I believe only myself, Jaken and my father knew about them. But what was really funny was Kagome told us she wasn't laughing because they were turning her into Sesshoumaru, thinking he would side with her, but because they were turning her in after they had started it by verbally assaulting a superior.

"She thought it was hilarious that they thought they could get her in trouble simply because she was a woman," Inuyasha explained with a smirk.

3:25

"It's about time," the Ambassador complained as he as his wife were finally allowed back into the fixed carriage. "Get moving," he demanded as he sat back with a scowl on his face. His wife wisely decided to not say anything and instead stared out her window at the barely visible scenery they were passing. Hearing her husband grumbling under his breath, she glanced back over at him only to wish she hadn't.

"What do you want now!?" he demanded as he screeched at her, startling both her and their driver. She shook her head whispering a soft nothing before quickly turning her head back out the window in hope of not angering him any further. Outside of the carriage, the guards exchanged looks before rolling their eyes at his antics.

"I can't wait until we get reach the East, I can not stand him," a guard in the back whispered to another guard nearby who nodded his head in agreement. "I do not understand why lady Kikyou puts up with him. If it was me, I would have had him killed years ago," he joked only half-heartily causing the other guard to snicker under his breath.

"You and me both," the second guard agreed before going silent when the lead guard turned back to glare at them. Rolling his eyes once the guard had turned back around, he leaned over to his companion to continue their whispered conversation. "I'm just hoping my request for a transfer has been approved by the time we get there. I'd much rather stay in the East then deal with this any longer and I've only been with the Ambassador for a summer. I don't understand how you could have laster longer than that."

"I didn't have much of a choice, staying in the East was too much trouble. The girl I was seeing before I took this post, well her husband found out about us. Thankfully he didn't know who I was but he did know I was a guard and when we came back last year, he was still searching for me," he explained with a laugh causing his companion to chuckle.

"Pick up the speed already! We have to make up for lost time due to your incompetence!" the Ambassador screeched causing everyone to jump in surprise. "What do I have to do to get you idiots to listen to orders?!" he demanded while he fumed in his seat. "You can be sure you all will be reported to lady Kikyou for your stupidity today," he grumbled as he folded his arms across his chest with a huff.

3:30

"Enter," Sesshoumaru instructed as a knock came at his office door. After a moment it slid open to reveal one of the kingdom's guards who walked over and bowed before him. "Speak," he continued as he glanced stoically at him.

"We have found the body of the missing guard, the one the would be assassin killed and stole his armor," he explained when Sesshoumaru raised one of his eyebrows in question.

"Very well. I will inform my father of this. See to it that his body is put in the medical hut until it can be dealt with and then return to your previous post," Sesshoumaru instructed before dismissing him and making his way out of his office as well. Ignoring the guards that began trailing after him, he quickly made his way down the halls, seeing nothing that he passed.

His mind still filled with thoughts of Kagome, he had almost completely forgotten about the guard and the reason he had come to his father's office by the time he reached the door. As it was, he had to pause for a moment to remember before knocking and entering the room. "The body of the missing guard has been discovered, I ordered his body to be brought to Jinenji-sensei's hut," Sesshoumaru explained after bowing to his father.

"Very well. I will have a burial planned for him later today, so you do not have to worry about this matter further," Toga told him and with another bow Sesshoumaru began to leave only to be stopped by his father's voice. "Once everything is settled today, you and I need to have a talk," Toga informed him.

"Very well, father," Sesshoumaru replied absentmindedly as he nodded before continuing out of the office and heading back toward his own. Toga watched after him until he had closed the door and shook his head at his son's behavior. It was not hard to figure out what was going through his son's mind at that moment and he truly could not fault him for being absentminded right now.

3:40

"Hello Hiten," Kagome said with a smile, not bothering to turn to where she knew he was standing a few feet from where she was. "What brings you out my way this time of the morning?" she inquired causing the man to laugh softly. Confused she turned toward him in question.

"You of course," Hiten replied with a laugh before walking over to stand next to her. "I was worried and wanted to see how you are doing. Why am I not surprised to find you out here working after everything that has happened today? Haven't you ever heard of taking it easy?" he questioned as he turned toward her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I am fine, Hiten. Couldn't be better even. Though truthfully the more people come over to ask me how I am the more annoyed I become. I am trying to keep my mind on other things and yet everyone seems to want to talk about the one thing I do not feel like discussing right now," Kagome complained as she turned back away from him, hoping he would get the message. He of course ignored it.

"Very well, when was the last time you ate something? I could have Manten whipped up something for you in a little bit," he told her, interrupting her when she went to object. "You are not invincible Kagome. No matter how much you want others to believe you are. Especially after everything that you don't want to talk about happened, you need to eat as much as you can to regain your strength and help you recover from the blood loss.

"I'm not going to take no for an answer, so don't even bother trying to say it. I'll have him bring it over as soon as it's ready and you will eat every bite or I will come feed you myself, understood?" he demanded giving her a hard stare, which she ignored while rolling her eyes at him.

"Fine, I will eat," she mumbled before letting her serious expression sleep and laughing at him. Turning with a smile, she gave him a quick hug before whispering, "Thank you for being such a good friend." As she pulled back, she saw a hurt look on his face and couldn't help but roll her eyes at him once again while laughing.

"A friend? A friend?! How could you?" he demanded, his expression becoming even more depressed with each word before finally slipping and laughing along with her. "One of these days Kagome, you're gonna see what I've been telling you all along, that I'm the better man. You'll see, you'll come around," he promised her with a smirk before turning and making his way back toward his tavern.

3:50

Sesshoumaru glared at the man's retreating back from his office window as he watched him walk away from Kagome. The thought that he had just witnessed her flirting with another man had his temper threatening to explode, but the wave of anger passed as quickly as it had come. Sighing, he felt the anger leaving him, only to have sadness arrive in its wake. "It is not as if I can complain about what she does, I deserve this," he whispered out loud to himself, not hearing the door to his office open behind him.

"Deserves what, my lord?" Jaken inquired confused drawing Sesshoumaru's attention to him. Instead of answering, Sesshoumaru waved it off as he walked over and sat down behind his desk.

"How did you fair on your mission?" Sesshoumaru questioned, completely changing the subject as Jaken took a seat in front of him. Jaken stared at him in silence for a few moments before finally shaking his head and deciding it would be better to just forget he had overheard anything.

"I could not find anyone still within the kingdom that had any close ties with the Ambassador and his wife, other than Kagome of course. The only ones to have dealings with them on a regular basis, other than Lord Toga, all went with them in the convoy. What would you like me to do now, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru sat silently for well over a minute before finally answering him, "Check with my brother's team members. They completed their search of the Ambassador's courters and may have discovered something that the guards over looked. Return to me once you have finished," Sesshoumaru instructed before picking up a random scroll from his desk and pretending to read it.

Understanding he was being dismissed, Jaken bowed and made his way back out of the office and shut the door behind him. Not a moment after he was gone, Sesshoumaru dropped the unread scroll back on his desk and quickly made his way back over to his window. It didn't take him long to find her once again and as he stared down at her, he found himself sighing.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

The following takes place between 4am and 5am...

4:00

"How are you doing, Kagome?" Kagura inquired as she climbed the ladder and found Kagome staring off into the darkness. Receiving no response, Kagura placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder causing her to jump in surprise. Unable to stop herself from chuckling, Kagura joked, "Wow, I think that's the first time I have ever caught you unaware and I wasn't even trying."

"Sorry guess my mind was else where. Shouldn't you be resting?" Kagome questioned as she turned toward her with a smile. Kagura shrugged before turning to stare out into the darkness as Kagome had been, resting her arms on top of the wall.

"I could ask you the same thing. You have been through far worse than I have. If you don't mention resting, I won't either," Kagura told her with a smile, causing Kagome to laugh in response. "What had you thinking so hard?" she wondered after a few moments of silence had fallen on them.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome replied after a moment before sighing and glancing over to where the window to his office could barely be seen in the moonlight. "He's been watching me from his window for a while now. He thinks I don't know he's doing it, but it's kind of hard to miss the constant eyes on the back of my head," Kagome told her shaking her head.

"Any idea what you plan on doing about him? I'd think you would drop kick him after everything he's done, but I only hear sadness in your voice, not anger," Kagura said, not sure if she was more worried about her friend or angry at him for his actions.

"I don't know, to tell you the truth. I want to hate him, Kami I want to hate him, but every time I think that I should just walk away from him, I remember that we only have a season left together as it is. After everything we've meant to each other, I don't want to end it in anger. And as much as I hate it, I understand what he did," Kagome told her, whispering the last few words more to herself than to Kagura.

"How can you possibly understand his actions? I want to kill him and I'm not even involved. You should be livid, you should be screaming at him in anger, you should hate him, yet you are sad. I don't understand you, Kagome," Kagura admitted with a sigh of frustration.

"In the dungeon he told me that only if it was him in there with me, that he would believe in me fully once again. While he did not feel any of the physical pain that I did, I know he felt the emotional. You could see it in his eyes how he was hurting. And if you want to know the truth, it wasn't the pain he caused or the fact that he caused it that bothers me so much, but the fact that even if only for a moment, he thought I was guilty.

"Everything else I can handle, though torture is new to me, everything else I am already used to, but the thought that he could believe such horrible things about me, it makes me want to just give up completely. Never before have I ever felt like the West was foreign, and now even though everything is the same, everything has changed. I can not look upon the man I love without crying, I can not walk past the guards without their whispered cruelties.

"And while I am used to them insulting me it has always been because I was a woman, now they claim that I am a traitor that only got away with it by bedding Sesshoumaru. Right now, it just feels like my entire world has shattered into millions of tiny fragments of what it used to be. I want to get angry at them, but I do not have the strength anymore. All that I am is tied up with the West and the royal family and it feels as if all that I am has been nothing but a lie.

"I want to lock myself away in my room and allow myself to cry until I no longer can, but the moment I do so, I fear I will never stop. Everyone thinks I am so strong, but I have never felt weaker than I do now. It takes everything I have, every ounce of strength that I still possess, just to keep me standing. And I know that it will not last long, I only pray that I make it through today. I wish that I could just relax, even if only for a minute, but the moment I do, it will be over. Someone, some where in this kingdom will try to force me out of my position.

"Claim I am weak, they have done it before, but never have they had some much in their favor. I can not let them win for if they take this away from me, I will be nothing. Have nothing. I live and breath this job. And it is so much a part of me that if it were to be gone, I shall never recover. So now I am stuck here, as though I am on a bridge that has collapsed on either side, unable to move forward or go back. I can not forgive him, yet I can not hold it against him."

"I can not love him, yet I can not, not love him. I can not do my job, yet I can not quit. It feels as though the sun will never rise on this day and the moon light does little to shine upon the answers I seek. And if I did not have enough stacked against me already, I can not even consult my parents. I no longer know what is right and wrong anymore. I want so much for them to be wrong about my parents, but at the same time, I don't.

"If it was truly all a mistake, it would mean that there was absolutely no reason for me to go through what I have. And the only thing holding in my sanity is the fact that they at least had some way to connect me to the attackers. But if they were wrong all along? It would mean that I was tortured for so long, for no reason at all. Right now I do not even know which would be worse. My parents really being traitors, or them not being," Kagome finally paused to take a deep breath and fight back the tears that had been threatening to fall for a while.

"Damn, girl. I don't think I would be able to deal with what you are going through, I would have just packed up and left the moment I was released," Kagura admitted shaking her head as she thought about everything Kagome had gone through in one day.

"Good morning, Manten," Kagome called out softly when she heard his heavy footsteps coming up the ladder behind her. Confused, Kagura glanced over her shoulder to find a man standing there holding something that was wrapped up in cloth. "I see he made good on his threat," Kagome joked causing Kagura to look between the two of them in confusion.

"It's some food, why don't you two join me? Knowing Hiten there's more food in there than I could possibly eat in one sitting," she told them with a smile as she took the bundle from Manten and opened in on the floor.

"I'm afraid I can not, we are pretty backed up at the moment. If fact, had you been anyone else, you would have been waiting awhile to be fed. I better head back before Hiten gets mad. Makes sure she eats plenty," Manten instructed Kagura before making his way back down the ladder before either of them could respond.

Kagome shook her head at his actions before grabbing the first thing she saw and, looking back out over the land, she began eating. "Go ahead and have some, I won't eat it all," Kagome told Kagura who after a moment reached down and picked up something as well. Thinking back on what Sango had told her had happened while Kagura was gone, she decided it might help her friend to talk about it. "While we eat, why don't you tell me how you are doing."

"I could be better," she replied after a few moments, shocked by the sudden change of topic. "It still doesn't feel real to me. I can not believe that he is dead or that he died protecting me. I have never had anyone protect me before, it was always me protecting my little sister. I want to go out to get his body soon so he can be buried here. I just wish there was more I could do for him to repay him for what he did for me."

"Live. Live a long and fulfilled life. Be happy. As long as the life you live was worth saving, what he did will never be in vain. That is how you can repay him, thank him by living everyday of your life as if it was your last. Live life with everything you have, experience everything you can. Live as though you are living the life of two," Kagome told her with a smile and after thinking for a moment, she continued, "Tell Sesshoumaru that I want someone to go get them. Since I have no use for the pull I have with him right now, you might as well use it."

"Alright, I think I will go do that now. I don't seem to have much of an appetite at the moment," Kagura told her with a half-hearted smile as she placed her untouched food back on the blanket and with a nod in Kagome's direction, began making her way back down the ladder. Kagome watched her until she could no longer be seen before turning her attention once more to the darkness.

4:25

Myoga and the other advisors sat staring at Lord Toga, waiting to see if he would change his mind and dismiss them as he had many times that day or go ahead with the meeting he had called. As they waited for him to speak, they exchanged glances with each other, but none of them wished to be the first to speak, worried he would snap at them once again. Finally finished reading the scroll he had been working on when they walked into his office, Toga tossed it atop the others on his desk and turned his attention to the three men that were waiting.

"I called this meeting to talk about potential wives for myself. Obviously I do not wish to use the same list that was made for Sesshoumaru as they would be more suited for him than for me, as well as too young. I do not need any more heirs, so I would rather go for a more mature wife rather one that would be better for child baring. If you have any suggestions, I am open to them," Toga told them before clasping his hands together and laying them in his lap.

"My lord, if I may, would it not be better to deal with this once everything else has been taken care of? Surely there are more pressing matters to be dealt with at the moment rather than something that should be at least a summer away," Myoga insisted, confused by the direction the conversation was going. He, as the others did, had assumed they had been called to discuss the days events, possible wives had not crossed their minds.

"I would much rather deal with something less stressful at the moment since we are currently at a stand still with everything else. Nothing more can be done until the Ambassador is brought back to the West and it will be some time before that happens. And I do not wish to discuss what has happened this day, at the moment," Toga explained giving each of them a stern look to let them know that he meant what he had said.

"But my lord, when have wives ever been something less stressful?" Totosai joked getting the message and deciding to keep the conversation on a topic that his lord wished to discus. "What about Urasue? She is a bit older, but a treaty with the Southwest would definitely come in handy. They are constantly encroaching on our border. And we know her father has been trying to marry her off for many years, I doubt it will be hard to convince him," Totosai suggested, ignoring the expressions of horror on the others' faces.

"You do recall the time she visited the West, do you not? Do you really wish to subject not only Lord Toga, but all of the West to her...attitude?" Myoga question, unable to come up with another, polite, way to describe the woman.

"She may not be the best choice, but she is still an option," Totosai insisted, rolling his eyes at the dirty look Myoga was giving him, though he wasn't sure if the look was truly directed at him or the memory of her visit.

"Not if I have anything to say about it, she is not. There is no way I will ever consider marrying that woman. I still have nightmares about her," Toga half-joked, causing his advisors to laugh. "Though I can understand why her father is in such a hurry to marry her off."

4:35

"Lord Menomaru!" a voice called out, catching his and the army's attention, and Menomaru signaled for everyone to stop as he waited for the rider to catch up to them. "I bring word from Lord Toga," he explained as he held up a scroll, which he was soon relieved of. After the scroll was handed over, Menomaru broke the seal and quickly scanned its contents before passing it to his son to read.

"Shit," Kouga mumbled under his breath as he reread the scroll a few times just to make sure he was not seeing things. "Is this thing correct?" Kouga demanded as he glanced up at the messenger and gestured at the scroll.

"Lord Toga's advisor Myoga handed it to me himself, but it bared the seal of my lord and the seal was undamaged. Though I do not know what is written, I do know that it was written by my lord and so it can only be seen as the truth," the messenger explained a bit confused. Not knowing what was written, he had no way of knowing why they were reacting to it as they were.

"It would seem then that we are no longer on a mission of protection, but rather of apprehension. And I did not believe that this day could get any worse," Menomaru commented, mumbling the last part more to himself. "You may finish your journey to the East if you wish to rest or return to the West. If you return home at this time, inform Lord Toga that I will be sending him a message once we have arrested them. For now, we must be on our way," Menomaru told him and went to signal for the men to continue on, only to be stopped by his son's words.

"Father, we may have a problem. I pray that I am wrong, but something was said to me earlier that has been bugging me and if what this scroll claims is true...," Kouga began only to stop himself with a sigh. Menomaru waited for a few moments for him to continue, finally becoming impatient and gesturing for him to go on. "When I spoke to Kikyou about disagreeing with her engagement to Inuyasha, she told me that I should not worry about it. That what I worried about, would not come to pass. I had thought she meant to convince you to engage her to his heir, but she has made no such move and with this new information...

"Father I can't help but worry about Kikyou. She has always been very close to the Ambassador and his wife and I fear she may have had something to do with this," Kouga told him, worried his father would scream at him for even suggesting such a thing, but instead, he thought over his words for a few moments in silence.

"I very much doubt that she did, however, I will not take any chances with so much on the line today. Return to the East and keep an eye on your sister. See if you can not get anything out of her, with out having to use drastic measures. I will continue on with the army to the convoy," Menomaru decided before gesturing for the men to move out and with a nod toward Kouga, he followed.

"Well if you're heading to the East to rest, guess you can go with me," Kouga told the messenger with a shrug before turning his horse around and heading back the way he had come without waiting for an answer. The messenger watched him for a moment before shrugging himself and following after him.

4:45

"Enter," Sesshoumaru answered to the knock at his door, wondering who else besides his advisor was stupid enough to bother him. And he doubted Jaken would be returning from his task so quickly. Though as he glanced up and saw who was entering his office, he found himself confused. Seeing one of Inuyasha's team members, who's name he could not remember, entering his office was the last thing he expected. Well second to last anyways, Kagome entering would have been the last.

"What brings you here...," he began as he tried to recall her name only to give up and shake his head, deciding it didn't really matter.

"Kagura, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagura finished for him with a bow as she moved to stand before his desk. "I would like to go and retrieve my comrade and the guards that went with us," she explained only to have Sesshoumaru raise an eyebrow in question. "I was with the group that went out to warn the Ambassador of the attack before we learned he was behind it. He ordered his men to attack us and I was the only one to survive."

"Ah yes I have heard of that. However, at the moment we can not spare the men for those already lost to us. You will have to wait until things settle down," he told her before turning his attention back to the scrolls that littered his desk. Though it was a sure sign she was being dismissed, Kagura decided to ignore it and do as Kagome had told her.

"Kagome said you would probably say that," Kagura mumbled under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear. As she expected, the moment he heard her name his head shot back up to her. He stared at her for a few moments before finally sighing and shaking his head.

"You intend to use Kagome's name in order to get what you want?" he questioned, though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama, but only because Kagome herself told me to do so," she told him and fought the urge to smile when he rolled his eyes. 'Guess he's not surprised,' Kagura thought to herself.

"It does sound like something she would do," he said almost as if he had heard her thoughts. "Very well," he continued after a few moments of silence, "You may take five men and go with them yourself. However, Kagura, do not make this a habit."

Knowing what he was referring to, Kagura simply nodded in response. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said with a bow and after being dismissed once again, she turned on her heels and made her way back out of the office. After shutting the door behind her, she allowed herself to smile at her, or rather Kagome's, success.

4:50

"It is time for you to rest," Jakotsu informed her as he appeared next to Kagome, causing her to jump slightly. "And not a moment to soon, it would seem. You are definitely in need of some sleep if I am able to startle you."

"I just had my mind on other things. It will not happen again, I am still fit for duty," Kagome insisted, not bothering to turn toward him.

"This is an order from Inuyasha-sama and you do not need to prove anything to me, Kagome. Nor anyone else. Yes you are fit for duty, however, we would like to keep it that way and if you push yourself too much, too fast, you will burn out. You are only human, after all. Now I was ordered to take over your post and send you in for some rest and that is what I will do even if I have to have you dragged there.

"Even with Inuyasha-sama gone, his word still out rules yours. Now go get some sleep, you will need your energy for what is to come," he insisted when he saw her about to refuse once again. Kagome turned to glare at him for a few moments, but seeing he wasn't going to budge, finally gave up with a sigh.

"Very well, but if I can not sleep, I'm coming back for my post," she told him and with a smile, Jakotsu bowed to her. "Good night, Jakotsu," Kagome said as she turned and began making her way toward the ladder. Just as she was about to turn around to climb down it, she caught sight of a silhouette watching her from a familiar window. Shaking her head at him, though she doubted he could see the action, Kagome sighed to herself and began making her way down the ladder.

4:55

As Jaken walked back into the office, he heard Sesshoumaru sigh before turning away from his window and walking back over to his desk. Ignoring the mental warning that told him he was putting his health at risk, Jaken decided to speak his mind. "Sesshoumaru-sama, if I may, I do believe that you should be fighting for her. The great Sesshoumaru-sama that I know and respect, would not be sitting in his office sighing as if he has given up."

"I have not given up, Jaken, she just needs some time. And right now, that is the only thing I can give her," Sesshoumaru told him as he picked up a scroll, both knew he had no intention of reading, hoping it would end the conversation.

"What she needs, Sesshoumaru-sama, is to know that you are not giving up. And forgive me for saying, but watching her from a window is not going to be enough. I know she is furious with you right now, but if I have learned anything in the time that she has guarded you, it is that she will eventually forgive you if she knows you are working toward earning it. At the very least, Sesshoumaru-sama, you will give her an out lit to take out her frustrations on, and I am sure she can use one right now."

Sighing, Sesshoumaru nodded his head before changing the subject. "What of your assignment? Have you learned anything of use?"

Deciding not to fight against the new topic, Jaken shook his head. "So far it does not seem as if they were able to learn anything the guards did not. I still have one more to speak to, Jakotsu I believe is his name, but he never seems to stay in the same place for very long and it is making him hard to find. With your leave, I will continue my search for him," Jaken told him and Sesshoumaru nodded his head both in agreement and dismissal. With a bow, Jaken turned and left the office.

* * *

Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. I also do not own the concept of 24. Only the story belongs to me.

* * *

Special thanks to my betas PockyThief, Kiyota and Ethereal Siren.

* * *

The following takes place between 5am and 6am...

5:00

"Inuyasha-sama!" Kirara called out as she rode her horse back toward them after scouting ahead to see if she could spot the convoy. "They're just up a head, in a valley on the other side of the hill a moment's ride from here. It maybe a trap though, I could only see five guards still with the convoy, the others may still be lying in wait," Kirara informed him as she positioned her horse so she was facing the same direction as them.

"We'll be ready for it in case it is a trap. Miroku you and Hachi stay on the top of the hill out of sight with the majority of the army. Kirara you stay with them and look out for any more of his men arriving. Bankotsu you and I will take a dozen men down and overtake the convoy. Let's go," Inuyasha commanded as they continued to make their way toward the hill Kirara had been referring to.

Behind him, Inuyasha could hear Bankotsu choosing which men would be going with them before turning his attention back to him. "We're ready on your mark, Inuyasha-sama," Bankotsu informed him and he responded with a nod of his head as he wondered what would be the best course of action.

"Alright when we reach the crest of the hill, team A, follow me without pause. Team B, make sure you stay out of sight and do not enter the battle unless reinforcements show up. And even then, only come down once they are in range of the convoy. I do not want to scare off any of the traitors before we have the chance to catch them," Inuyasha told them and hearing a 'yes sir' from his team members, he turned his attention to the quickly approaching hill.

"Move out!" he instructed as he forced his horse to go faster and quickly sped over the hillside and began making his way down the other side, Bankotsu and 12 men following close behind. Without the hill blocking his line of sight, he could easily see the convoy slowly making its way across the land about a kilometer away from them. As they neared them, he could hear the Ambassador shouting out orders to attack them, but paid it little mind.

"Remember, do not kill the Ambassador and his wife!" Inuyasha shouted over the thundering hooves of the horses. "The rest do not matter," he finished quietly as he locked eyes with the Ambassador who was glaring at him from the carriage's window. "It's time to pay, Higurashi, for betraying the West and for Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, his voice so low that only Bankotsu, who was riding next to him, could hear it.

"For Kagome," Bankotsu agreed with an evil smirk before calling out to the men, "Surround the convoy! Take out the guards quickly!" Pulling Banryu out from its sheath on his back, he raised the large double-edged broadsword above his head and pulled away from the others as he raced toward the now armed guards. Inuyasha watched him go with veiled amusement before shaking his head at the man's antics and unsheathing his own sword.

As Bankotsu neared the closest guard, he leaped from his horse, swinging his sword in a large arc in front of him, catching the man in the chest and sending him flying back into the carriage. From inside, the Ambassador's wife began screaming, but the sound was washed out by the pounding of blood in his ears as adrenaline pumped through his body. Turning he found his next target, a guard who's shaking caused him to almost lose his grip on his sword, and Bankotsu found himself grinning as he rushed toward him.

A few feet away, Inuyasha had dismounted his own horse and was currently locked in battle with two of the guards, leaving the last one for the 12 men still on horse back. Confused as to why they were needed there when Inuyasha and Bankotsu could easily take care of the five guards, they just glanced at each other, shrugging before turning back and giving chase to the last guard, who had fled when he saw how many he would be up against.

"Who's next?" Bankotsu inquired with a smirk as he quickly finished off the terrified guard and turned to find his next target. Seeing Inuyasha had already taken down one of the guards he was fighting, and the rest of the men were chasing after the fifth, Bankotsu turned his attention to the carriage carrying the Ambassador and his still screaming wife. "Guess you're next," he told them with a smirk that caused her to finally become silent as she fainted.

"Get me out of here and I can give you what ever you want," the Ambassador tried to bargain as he saw Bankotsu slowly watching toward the carriage. "Money, land, women, just name it and it is yours. I have friends in very high places and can get you what ever you want. Name your price for helping me escape."

"Anything I want?" Bankotsu questioned causing the Ambassador to nod his head vigorously. "I'm afraid the only thing I want, can't be exchanged for your freedom," Bankotsu told him with a large grin as he pointed the tip of his sword toward the Ambassador's face. "You see, the only thing I want is for you to pay for what your treacherous actions have caused. And you know what, I'm really looking forward to getting you alone in my cell."

"Don't scare him too much, Bankotsu, wouldn't want him to faint like his wife," Inuyasha told his with a dark chuckle as he sheathed his sword and walked over to stand next to him. "Get out of the carriage, you pathetic excuse for a man," Inuyasha commanded and when he didn't budge, nodded for Bankotsu to remove him. Yanking him through the carriage window, Bankotsu dropped him on the ground at Inuyasha's feet.

"Ambassador Higurashi you are under arrested for treason and murder," Inuyasha informed him as the men, that had been chasing after the last guard, returned and dropped his body with the others. "Place shackles on his hands and feet as well as his wife's," he instructed without taking his eyes off of the man at his feet. The moment the guards moved to do as they were told, the Ambassador tossed a fistful of dirt at Inuyasha and tried to run away, only to have Bankotsu jab the hilt of his sword into his back, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to drop to the ground again.

Inuyasha lowered his hand, that had blocked the dirt from entering his eyes, with a scowl on his face. "You really are pathetic aren't you?" Inuyasha questioned rhetorically as the Ambassador was shackled. "Just tell me one thing, why? Why did you betray the East and West?" he demanded only to be met with silence. "Your own daughter was tortured for hours because of your actions!" Inuyasha screamed, the last bit of control he had on his temper beginning to slip.

"So? It is her own fault for forgetting where her loyalties lie. All she had to do was come with us and she would have been just fine, but instead she choose that moron you call an heir over her own family, her own people," he told him with a sneer and as the last bit of control slipped away, Inuyasha decked him. The Ambassador licked the blood from his lip before spitting it at Inuyasha's feet.

"She is more of a traitor than I am, I remain loyal to those I have been loyal to from the start. She is the one that turned her back on the East," he insisted and at his final words, Inuyasha and Bankotsu exchanged worried glances, both thinking the same thing. 'What he did mean he was still loyal to the East?'

5:20

"Please let me be wrong," Kouga pleaded as the gate to the Eastern kingdom came into view and he pushed his horse to go faster. "Open the gate!" he called out once he was sure he was in range for the guards to hear him and within moments, he could see the gate being opened before him. Not bothering to stop to give them an explanation of his early return, Kouga rushed past those that were waiting for him, and made his way toward the inner castle.

Dismounting his horse, without bothering to wait for it to stop, Kouga threw the door open and began rushing down the hallway, ignoring the calls from those behind him that were wondering what was going on. Sure he knew where she would be, he ignored ever door he passed as he made a beeline for her own courters. All the while, mentally reminding himself to give her the benefit of doubt.

There was no proof she was connected to anything that had happened, simply a hunch of his based on something she had said. None of it was anywhere near enough to condemn her on. But he found that as he reached her doorway and threw the door open so hard it crashed at the end of its tracks, that his mental preparing went right out the window. "Why?!" he demanded the moment he spotted her sitting down at her table painting.

"Why what brother? And what are you doing here? I had thought you left a while ago to go meet up with the convoy with father," Kikyou said giving him a confused look before noticing the men that had followed him now crowed the doorway, each wanting to be there to discover what had gotten their heir so worried.

"Do not play the part of a fool, Kikyou, you know every well what it is that I speak. Why did you betray the East? Why did you league yourself with the traitors?" Kouga demanded and as he spoke, Kikyou's expression went from one of confusion to one of amusement.

"Have you finally connected the dots brother? I am impressed, I thought for sure that it would take you much longer, if ever, to discover the truth. You are wrong though, I have not betrayed the East, it is you and father that have. And I have not leagued myself with anyone, they answer to me," Kikyou explained only to confuse him further.

"Still do not understand, Kouga? I am simply trying to undo the atrocities committed by father. No longer will we sit by and allow that abomination to be called our ally, no longer will his deeds go unpunished for the sake of an misbegotten treaty. He will pay for his crimes against the East," Kikyou swore, a look of determination on her face.

"Kikyou what are you talking about? The war is long over, and has been that way for longer than you have been alive. The West is no longer our enemy, why would you risk jeopardizing Eastern lives for a vendetta that is not yours?" Kouga demanded, throughly confused by his sister's words.

"You're right, the vendetta is not mine, it is our mother's and since she is no longer around to do what needs to be done, it has follow onto my shoulders. And I find it a great honor to continue our mother's work. I only wish that you could see the barbarians for what they truly are rather than following blindly behind our idiot of a father. But no matter, by dawn mother's last wish will be carried out and then it is only a matter of time before the West falls."

"Kikyou do you have sickness of the mind? Mother had no grudge against the West either once the treaty was signed. Who ever has led you to believe this filth has been filling your head full of lies. Whatever it is that you have done, undo it now before it is too late," he warned her as he closed the distance between them and held her hands in his own.

"Lies? I am afraid that it is you, brother, who does not know the truth. You still believe our mother died in child birth, but that is merely a lie father invented to keep you from knowing the truth. The truth is our father had her killed once he learned that she was responsible for the death of the Western lady. He stopped her before she was able to finish what she had started, what I will finish this day. Kill lord Toga."

At her final words, Kouga dropped her hands as if they had burned his own and stared at her in complete horror and confusion. Seeing the grin that continued to spread across her face, Kouga decided he could no longer stand to be in the same room as her. "Have guards posted at all of the exits, she is not to step a foot outside of her courters," he instructed as he made his way past the others and began rushing down the halls, heading straight to where he knew the messenger would be waiting.

5:30

"Incoming riders!" Kirara called out getting Inuyasha's attention when she spotted their approach in the distance. Nodding to Bankotsu to keep watch over the prisoners, Inuyasha made his way over to where she remained on horseback and scanned the direction she indicated. Sure enough he could barely make out the approaching army.

"Can you tell who they are yet?" he questioned as he gestured toward them before turning to look up at her. Kirara watched as they came closer as she tried to spot one of their flags or the color of their uniforms.

"It's the East. Lord Menomaru is in company. They're moving to fast to count their numbers, but it's a larger army then what we have with us. If they keep their current speed, they will arrive shortly. What are your orders?" she inquired before glancing down at him.

"Raise my flag and wait for them," he instructed before turning back and heading over to inform the men to be ready to move out soon. Behind him, Kirara unstrapped the flag from her horse and raised it high above her head. It wasn't long before she could see their flag barer lower Menomaru's flag only to raise it once again, signifying that they gotten the message.

As she watched their approach, Bankotsu busied himself with tying the Ambassador and his wife onto the back of two horses and once they were situated, mounted his own horse in ready. "Moments out! Lord Menomaru and three others incoming!" Kirara called over her shoulder once the four riders had broken away from their group and were well within hearing distance.

"Alright," Inuyasha replied as he remounted his own horse and guided it over to stand next to Kirara's. "Here we go," Inuyasha mumbled to himself before sitting up straight and greeting Menomaru with a slight bow.

"Inuyasha-san, I see you have beaten me to the punch. I, myself, was on my way to arrest them," Menomaru told him as he gestured to the prisoners. "May I suggest we head to the East as it is closer and there is something I wish to discus with you."

"No disrespect, Lord Menomaru, but I have no intention of handing them over. Their crimes are against the West and we have jurisdiction," Inuyasha warned, jumping right to the point as he was never one to tip toe around what he wanted to say.

"I assure you, Inuyasha-san, I have no intention of entering into a jurisdiction war with the West, the prisoners are yours. I have received information that someone in my kingdom may be behind the attacks as well, but I do not wish to go into details out here. Understand when I say that it is a sensitive matter, one that will be fully disclosed to you once we have a chance to sit down and talk. My son, Kouga, is currently apprehending said individual and will most likely have more information than I do at this time."

"Very well, our horses could use a rest as it is," he agreed before glancing over his shoulder to call out, "Be ready to move out or be left behind!" Having said this, he turned back to nod at Lord Menomaru who in turn, guided his horse back to his waiting men, with Inuyasha and his army following close behind.

5:40

"Get out. I have no desire to see you at this moment," Kagome spat out after turning around at the sound of her door sliding open and finding Sesshoumaru standing in her doorway. "Why are you still standing there, Sesshoumaru-sama? The last time I checked, this was still my room. I have had a very long day and I do not feel like dealing with you at the moment, so please leave."

Sesshoumaru remained silent for a few moments as he glanced over her appearance trying to spot the signs of pain that she hid so well from prying eyes, but having no luck. Sighing, Sesshoumaru turned as if he was going to do as she bid only to close the door behind him. Keeping his back to her, as if unable to find the strength to face her, he spoke in a soft voice. "You know I had no choice, Kagome. The evidence said that you were guilty and I felt betrayed."

"No, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome began knowing that adding the respecting title to his name was like a slap in the face to him. They had been far too close to use titles whenever they had been alone together, but she knew she didn't have the strength to treat him as she always did. "The evidence pointed to my parents being involved, not me. You had no evidence against me whatsoever, you merely took it out on me because you felt hurt and couldn't control that damn temper of yours."

"You forget, Kagome," he began as he finally turned back around to face her, though his eyes were anywhere but on her. "There was no evidence to support you either."

"You want evidence?!" Kagome screamed at him as she flew across the room and pulled the top drawer out of her dresser. She flung the contents at him as she turned back to face him, pelting him with dozens of tiny medals. "Every last one of those, I got protecting the life of a member of the royal family. Most of which came at a great risk to my own life," Kagome explained in a whisper, raising her voice with each word until she was screaming at him once again.

"You want proof that I would never betray the West? You need but know me! I am the most decorated guard in the entire kingdom! You mother was the midwife who birthed me! Inuyasha is my best friend!" Kagome hollered before finally throwing the empty drawer at him. He easily sidestepped it and it crashed against the fall wall, splintering into dozens of tiny fragments.

"Still not enough? Still need more proof? Then how about the fact that I am so completely in love with you that I can't even see straight?!" Kagome shrieked at him, giving up on trying to control her emotions and just letting the tears, that had been threatening to fall since the moment she walked into her room, escape uninhibited.

Sesshoumaru just stared at her unsure of what to say, knowing words would be meaningless. He startled both of them as he growled and closed the distance between them. Letting go of his tightly rung control, he pulled her flush against his chest and crashed his lips down onto hers. She let off a squeak of protest as she pushed against his chest, breaking the connection.

Throwing her hand back, she slapped him across the face, putting all of her strength, her anger, her pain, everything that she was feeling into the contact. The thundering sound echoing around the otherwise silent room sobered them up for a brief moment. "You bastard," she hissed through her teeth as she glared at the man who still had his arms wrapped around her. Ignoring the offenses, both physical and verbal, Sesshoumaru did the only thing his mind could fathom doing at that moment. He pulled her close and crashed his lips onto hers once again.

5:50

"Just set it down on the desk," Toga instructed the servant who was bringing him tea without bothering to glance up from the scroll he was writing. Unnoticed, the servant did as instructed before bowing and leaving the office silently. Toga read over what he had written before placing the tip of his pen back down on the scroll and adding to it until he was satisfied.

"I, Toga, Lord of the West, hereby bestow upon Kagome Higurashi, second in command of the High Guard and royal advisor to Inuyasha, the position: Guardian of the West. In addition to a 15 per cent pay raise, her newly appointed position also comprises of the title of Lady Dowager and the ability to call on the Rite of Protection.

"As Lady Dowager she will be stationed at the second highest position in the kingdom, second only to the Lord. And provided the lord does not speak against, her word shall be law. In the event that all members of the royal family are indisposed or killed, she will lead the West and become its new heir.

"No man may remove her from this position, only she may renounce it and only when there is another lady, married or born into the royal family, to take her place. And even then, the lord must agree to her stepping down.

"These are my words and as Lord of the West, it is law," Toga read out loud to himself in the quiet office, finally satisfied with what he had written. Placing his seal at the bottom, he set it off to the side to dry and stretched his tired muscles. Reaching over for his cooling tea, he went to take a sip when he found himself staring at his wife's painting.

"I know what you are thinking, my love," he began as he lower the cup and smiled up at her. "It does not begin to make up for what I have done to her, but it is a start. And as Lady Dowager no one will speak against her marrying our son. I can not undo what I have already done, but the future has yet to be written. If she can forgive him and still love him, with this, there will be nothing stopping her from becoming the next Lady of the West.

"A position that has been empty for far too long, my love. I know that you will not be pleased with the idea of me remarrying, but take solace in the fact that she will never have any real power, she will never be the Western Lady. For once they are married, I will hand over my position to our son and retire myself. But even without me being the reigning Lord, I know I will be able to forge a treaty in exchange for a wife.

"And as much as I would rather not, it is the least I can do for her and our son. I owe them that much. And I hope that when my time comes to rejoin you, you can find it in yourself to forgive me for taking another woman to my bed. Know this my love, none shall ever take your place in my heart," Toga promised her as he raised the cup as if he was making a toast and brought it to his lips, taking a long drink of the warm, bitter liquid.

A moment later, the cup slipped effortlessly from his hand, shattering against the floor and sending hundreds of tiny, tea covered shards flying in very direction. As the dark liquid began to seep into the wooden floor, Toga slumped over onto his desk without uttering a sound. Silence soon rained down over the room, so quiet, so still that not even his breathing or heart beat could be heard.

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AN: Well that's it folks...well until I get around to the sequel anyways. Which by the way, will be coming after Mates and Void's sequel, so it's gonna be a while. Hope you enjoyed this story and I would love to hear your feedback, good or bad. And while Dowager is normally used in reference to the king/lord's widow, it was the title that best fit the story and I decided to use it. And for those wondering, High Guard is the name of Inuyasha's team. It hadn't been mentioned before because I couldn't find the right name for it, hehe.

Now that this story is finished, it's time for the countdown to begin :). I am of course referring to the countdown until We are Mates, third and final book of the Alpha Pack Mates series is started. The first chapter is set to be added on the 2nd of January so don't miss it. And for all of my fans who have waited patiently all this time, I have a little gift for you. I have made an APM banner which you can find at http...682(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/vv183/Hairann/Banners/APMFan(dot)jpg and are free to add it to your profile or what not. And if you don't understand the relevance of the numbers, they are to mark the dates when the stories were started.

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Please R&R, good and bad reviews are welcome, however, I will ignore flames.


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